A Life Must Lived
by Melissa Mendelson
Summary: In a moment, her life was stolen, and all she was to become lied in darkness.
1. Chapter 1

Heroes: The Life We Must Live

By, Melissa Rachel

All Bailey Winters wanted is a cold drink and a full tank of gas. Yet, a moment after she had entered the gas station and stepped in line behind two others, a man with a gun storms in. Now, she had no choice but to watch the robbery unfold before her very eyes.

"Give me the money! Not from the register! From the safe! From the safe!" The robber angrily points his gun at the young clerk behind the counter.

"We don't have a safe, sir!"

Suddenly, the gunman shoots the man, who was standing first in line. The woman standing behind him is about to scream when she realizes that the gun is now pointed at her. If the gunman shoots her, Bailey would be next in line.

"You have three more tries, boy." The gunman looks over his shoulder at the clerk, who is now literally shaking like a leaf. "Shall we try again because I know that you do have a safe?"

"But I don't know the combination." The clerk watches the gunman pull the hammer back on his gun and wrap his finger around the trigger.

Suddenly, Bailey steps out of line and pushes the woman behind her. She notes the look of shock and then anger on the gunman's face. She doesn't even blink when he shoots her in the stomach.

Just as the gunman is about to shoot her in the chest, he hears his heartbeat. He feels his heart pounding against his chest. Dropping his gun, the man falls dead to the floor.

Standing over him, Bailey presses her hands against her wound. Blood gushes out and drips onto her shoes. She looks at the clerk and then at the people behind her.

Called to the scene, Matt Parkman approaches to see police questioning those that were held hostage inside. He sees the Coroner's Office carry out a body from the gas station. His eyes fall on a young woman being carried on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance. His attention then turns to his FBI friend, who had called him earlier about the robbery. "You know that I was suspended, so why did you call me?"

"Because I need you. It's bad enough that Sylar and Ted are out there, and now this happens."

"What? A robbery? Robberies happen almost all the time, and most of the time, police handle it. So, what makes this one any different?"

"Maybe because the gunman was in perfect health and suddenly just dies. According to eyewitnesses, the girl didn't even blink when he shot her, and then he just died."

"Maybe he had a heart attack."

"Well, the Coroner's Office is doing an autopsy, so we shall see." She looks at the gas station for a moment. "You know, I wouldn't have bothered with this, but with recent events, I can't afford to ignore this."

"You think she is like me and Ted?" The FBI agent nods. "Look, maybe the guy had a heart attack, and she…"

"Has a high tolerance for pain? Just go to the hospital, and try to get something out of her. She wouldn't talk to the police or me except for giving us her name, which I am going to run through the FBI database and see what comes up." She walks past Matt and toward her car.

"So, I'm supposed to do what? Baby-sit her?"

"Just get something from her, Matt, okay?" The FBI agent gets in her car and drives off.

Slowly opening her eyes, Bailey sees a cop sitting in a chair near her bed. She tries to sit up, but a sharp pain runs up along her left side. Sighing, she touches where her wound is and remembers the robbery. "Can I get some water, please?"

"Sure."

Standing up from the chair, Matt walks over to a small tray with a bottle of water on it. He brings it over to Bailey. Handing it to her, he feels a shock when Bailey touches his hand. He feels her stare as he rubs his hand.

"Sorry. It seems to be a habit lately."

"What? Shocking people?" Bailey just laughs. "I'm Matt, by the way."

"Bailey."

"Bailey. Interesting name."

"Thanks. So, am I under arrest?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you're here."

"I just need to ask you a few questions. That's all." He sits back down in his chair.

"That's all?" Bailey studies him. "_You're here for answers. Answers that I can't give you_."

"Why do you think I am here?" Matt looks at her.

"You want to know what happened in the gas station." Bailey drinks her water. "_You want to know if I killed him. What if I told you that I did? Would you arrest me for murder_?"

"Did you kill him?" Bailey almost chokes on her water. "You did save that woman and probably everyone else in there."

"So, you are different."

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, Bailey's doctor walks in. He glares at Matt. Shaking his head, he looks down at a vanilla folder in his hands and then up at Bailey. "If you don't mind, officer, I think my patient needs some rest. I also need to speak with her. Privately."

"Sure. I'll go." Standing up from his chair, Matt turns to look at Bailey, who smiles at him.

"_Do yourself a favor. Go home, and don't come near me again_." She looks at him, slowly nodding. "It was nice to meet you, Matt." She watches him leave the room.

Standing outside the hospital, Matt returns a call he got from his FBI friend. He hears it ring a few times. Not thinking she was going to answer, he is prepared to leave a voice message when she picks up. "Hey, I got your message. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing except for a little discovery on our new friend."

"Discovery?"

"Yeah. Apparently, one month ago, there was a similar death in her hometown in upstate New York."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the police had found a guy's body in the middle of the woods up there. The guy died the same exact way as the robber. I think she killed him."

"What did the autopsy say?"

"Just something like the electric current to his heart ceased. I haven't compared it yet to the autopsy on the robber. Anyway, has she told you anything?"

"No. No, she hasn't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."

"Well, I need to know if she killed these two men. What I don't need right now is another Ted or Sylar running around, okay?"

"Yeah, I got it. Talk to you soon." Matt disconnects his call.

Slowly sitting up in bed, Bailey turns to see Matt standing in the doorway to her room. She sighs and looks away for a moment. Then, she gestures for Matt to come in. "I guess you didn't get my message."

"What? To go home? I got it." He sits back down in the chair near her bed. "What did your doctor want?"

"That's none of your business."

"Sorry. I was just wondering." He looks at her for a moment and then looks away.

"Trying to read my thoughts?" Matt looks at her. "I could block them if I wanted to."

"How do you know that I can read thoughts?"

"When I touched your hand, I guess you could say that I got an impression of who, what you are. Don't worry. I'm not like that guy from that TV show, Dead Zone."

"So, what are you like?" Matt looks at Bailey.

"I don't know anymore." She returns his stare. "Lately, things have been… Difficult."

"How so?"

"Things have just been difficult."

"I noticed that you didn't call any family or friends to let them know that you were here. Any reason why?'

"I didn't want to worry them." Bailey looks at Matt. "However, are you really asking me about them or about the guy that was found dead in my hometown?"

"Now, who's reading thoughts?" Bailey laughs. "You knew that my FBI friend was going to run your name through the database, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I had a feeling that she was going to check me out. She seemed really suspicious of me for some reason."

"Well, things have been difficult here as of late, but, yeah, I was really asking about that guy. Why did your name come up in connection to his death?"

"I was the last one to see him alive." She turns to look out the window nearby.

"Tell me about him."

"Nothing to tell." She sighs. "_He got what he deserved. Otherwise, he would keep doing what he was doing_." She realizes that Matt heard that.

"Did he hurt you?" Bailey closes her eyes for a moment. "Did he try to kill you?"

"He tried… It just happened. I ran away from home shortly afterward. My family and friends don't know where I am." She turns to look at Matt. "And I don't want them to. Look, I'm really, really tired. Can you just leave me alone, please?" Matt nods, but a concerned look is etched across his face.

"Okay, but I'm coming back." Bailey nods but doesn't look at him. "Get some rest." He starts to walk out of the room when he hears her start to cry.

Hanging around outside the waiting room, Matt bumps into Bailey's doctor. The man gives him a harsh look and tries to walk past him, but Matt follows him. He grabs the doctor by the arm. "Can you tell me what is going on with Bailey?"

"Why should I? You're not her family or friend. You're just someone interrupting her rest."

"Look, I know that she was shot, and I don't mean to interrupt her rest. But I would like to know what is going on with her."

"Sorry. I can't disclose that to you." The doctor starts to walk away. "_What would you like me to say? That she is dying and may only have about a month to live_?" He walks down the hallway as Matt stares after him.

Standing in the doorway, Matt watches Bailey sleep. He rubs his eyes and nervously touches the mark on his neck. Quietly entering the room, he takes his seat beside Bailey's bed.

Waking up, Bailey turns to look at Matt. She smiles when she notices the look on his face. Her smile fades as she continues to stare at him. "You know, don't you?"

"That you're dying. Yeah, I know." Matt clasps his hands together as he sits on the chair. "Have you always known?"

"Yeah, for a month or so, I've known."

"So… What? What is it?"

"The doctors' don't know. It's something with the electric current in me… I don't know."

"Those men died from their electric current being turned off." Matt and Bailey look up to see the FBI Agent standing in the doorway. "Did you have anything to do with that?"

"If I did, would you arrest me?"

"Yes, I would. It's called Murder." The FBI Agent enters the room.

"She didn't mean it. It was self defense both times." Matt looks at his friend and then at Bailey. "Right? It was self defense?"

"It was, and I didn't mean to kill them."

"Well, what about the next guy, the one after that, and the one after that…"

"Enough! What's with you?" Standing up from his chair, Matt confronts his friend.

"What's with me? What's with you?" Matt stares at her. "Look, can I talk to you outside in the hallway, please?"

Turning to look at Bailey, Matt said, "Sure." He follows his friend out of Bailey's room.

"I don't know about you, but we can't let her go."

"She's dying. She doesn't have a lot of time."

"I don't care. What if she kills someone again? Is it going to be self defense the third time?' Matt sighs and looks away. "Look, I feel bad about her situation, but if she can't control whatever ability that she has, she could kill maybe more than one person next time."

"We don't know that."

"Would you like to take that chance? Would you want the responsibility if she did?"

"So, what? We arrest her, put her in what we put Ted in, and then maybe Homeland Security will come for her? Is that it?"

"At least, we will keep her from harming anyone else. As soon as she is able to walk, I'm taking her in. I'm sorry, Matt, but that is how it has to be." She walks away from him.

"Damn it!"

The next day, Matt walks into the hospital. He approaches Bailey's room. He sees her sleeping under the covers of her bed. "Bailey. Bailey? We need to talk. Bailey?"

Pulling the covers off of her, Matt sees someone else lying in the bed and hooked up to some of the machines. He calls for help outside the room. Turning around, he wonders where did Bailey go?

"She made a call late last night. I'm having it traced right now, but it may not matter. Whoever helped her could be long gone, and so could she. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, Matt. I didn't need to add another one to Sylar and to Ted and to whoever else that has these abilities are out there. It's getting out of hand, Matt." She stares at Matt, who stands outside Bailey's now empty room. "It's just getting out of hand."

"She didn't strike me as a murderer."

"Well, the nurse is lucky that she just knocked her out, but she could… She will kill again, and that falls on us. Now, we have to find her before that happens. What else are we going to do?"

"I don't know, but you're right. We have to find her and Ted and Sylar." Matt looks at his friend and then back at Bailey's empty bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Heroes: The Monsters We Keep

By, Melissa Rachel

The search for Bailey Winters went cold. There were no sightings, no more mysterious deaths, and nothing for a month. It was as if she never existed.

Suddenly, the phone rings, pulling Matt Parkman out of a deep sleep. Fumbling for the phone in the dark bedroom, Matt feels his wife stir next to him. Putting the phone to his ear, Matt turns on the bedroom light, blinded for a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Parkman, turn on your TV."

"What?"

"Turn on your TV!"

"What time is it?" Parkman looks at his alarm clock to see that was close to five in the morning. "What's going on?" He hears his FBI friend sigh loudly on the other end of the phone. "Never mind. Hold on a minute."

Climbing out of bed, Matt walks over to the TV. He puts it on and switches to a news station. He sits on the floor as the reporter repeats the breaking news story.

"Earlier tonight, the Loft was engulfed by a huge fire, and as you can see, it is completely destroyed. The death toll is now up to twenty dead. According to sources, though, half of the dead did not die from the fire but from heart failure. Those that were inside and got out safely have been quarantined in case this is some sort of outbreak, and the CDC has been called in to evaluate the situation. Again, the Loft in Yonkers is completely destroyed from a fire that is suspected to be from arson, and twenty people are dead. Back to you, Jason."

"This is why I wanted to take Bailey Winters into custody, Parkman. This is what I wanted to avoid."

"She couldn't have done that."

"Yeah? What about Ted?" Silence is her answer. "Those people are dead because nobody was guarding her room, and she escaped."

"Why now? Why a month later?"

"It doesn't matter, Parkman! People are dead! Their blood is on our hands!"

After a minute, Matt said, "So, what should I do?"

"Nothing. I'll take care of this."

"Wait a damn minute! If she did do this, then it is my fault. Let me make it right. Let me investigate this. Maybe I can even find her."

"And if you find her, would you be able to take her into custody? Would you be able to shoot her if you had to? You got too close to her, Parkman. I can't let you near this investigation. I'm sorry."

"Then, why did you bother to call me? Why did you bother to wake me up out of a deep sleep? What was the point if you weren't going to let me be part of the investigation? What was the point!"

"Fine. You want to be part of this investigation? You're a part of it, but you better bring her in. Or I will!" The call is disconnected.

Matt stares at the dead phone in his hands. His eyes move up toward the TV. Shaking his head, he turns the TV off but remains where he is for a few more moments.

Earlier that night, Bailey was at the Loft, having a drink at the bar. She stares at herself in the mirror before looking at those behind her. Her eyes fall on Micha Sanders and his father.

Taking a table near her, the father turns to look at her. He looks at his son and then back at her. Turning his attention to his waitress, he orders two sodas for his son and for himself.

Suddenly, a man covered in tattoos and piercing approaches their table. He points at the father, telling him that he was in his seat. Glancing at Micha, he gave him a very unfriendly smile.

"Look, we just want to get our sodas, and then we will give you back your table, okay?"

"I want my table back now. You can stand up and drink your damn sodas."

"I don't want any trouble."

"Then, you shouldn't have taken my table." The guy leans closer to the father.

"I'm asking you nicely to just let us have our sodas, okay?"

"And I'm tired of being nice to your kind." The man punches the father in the face, knocking him out of his chair.

Just as the father is about to stand up, he notices a strange look on the man's face. The man looks like he was stabbed in the chest. Almost reaching for his heart, the man crashes through the table, dead.

A moment later, the men that had come in with the guy react the same way. They all have that look on their face. Another moment later, they are all on the floor, dead.

Noticing a wicked smile across the young woman's face, the father realizes that others around them are reacting the same way. He grabs his son off his chair and runs toward the entrance door. Looking back, he sees more dead bodies on the ground.

"Micha, go outside, and stay there."

"Dad, what are you going to do?"

"Just stay outside no matter what happens."

"But, Dad…"

"No butts, Micha! Go!" He points outside and watches his son hurry out the doors.

Rushing over to the young woman, who is still sitting at the bar with a drink in her hand, the father grabs her, getting a shock that runs up his arm. Still, he pulls her out of her seat, knocking the drink to the floor. He races outside the bar as he starts to lose feeling in his right arm.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" The young woman seems to be in a daze.

Slapping her across her face, the young woman turns to glare at him. Then, she looks over his shoulder at the Loft. A dark realization settles upon her.

A moment later, the Loft explodes into flames. The father, Micha, and Bailey jump at the sound of the explosion. They turn to look at each other.

"I didn't do that. I didn't do that."

"But you did kill those people in there." Bailey shakes her head. "You killed those people in there!"

"I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. I just… I couldn't control it." She looks at the father and then at Micha. "I couldn't control my hunger for it."

The father is about to step closer to her when he hears sirens in the distance. He turns to look in that direction. Pulling his son close to him, his eyes settle on Bailey.

"You better hope that we never meet again." Pulling his son over to his car, the father gets in and drives off.

"I didn't mean to." Bailey hurries off as police cars and ambulances race onto the scene.

The next day, Matt is standing outside the Loft, examining the devastation. He picks up bits and pieces of thoughts from those that he passes. Turning his attention to his FBI friend, he can tell that she is very much furious.

"So, what did that guy you were interviewing have to say?" He approaches the FBI Agent.

"Just that Bailey Winters was here last night. I told you that she did this."

"We still don't know that."

"No? According to the bartender, after a fight broke out, people started to drop like flies. The whole time, she is sitting at the bar with her drink until some guy pulled her out of the place."

"Did the bartender see them leave together?"

"No, because he was trying to calm everyone else down when the place exploded into flames."

"Thank God, he got out."

"Yeah, but others weren't as lucky." A moment passes. "Let's just try to find her before this happens again." She walks past Matt. "It's bad enough that Sylar is out there, but now we have another one to worry about." Matt looks at her before turning to look at what is left of the Loft.

The ringing of the phone pulls Matt out of another sound sleep. His gut tightens, fearing that more people had died. Rubbing his eyes, he reaches out and answers the phone.

"Hello? Hello?"

"Mr. Parkman?"

"Yes? Hello?"

"I'm sorry that I woke you." Matt realizes that it's Bailey. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kill those people."

"Bailey? Bailey, where are you?"

"Some motel."

"Which motel?"

"I'm not a murderer, but I don't know what I am." She starts to cry on the other end.

"Just tell me where you are. Bailey, where are you?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." The phone goes dead.

"Bailey! Damn it!" Matt hangs up the phone. "Damn it." He sits up in bed, rubbing his forehead.

"Yeah, that's her. She rented a room a few days ago and checked out early this morning." The renter said as the FBI agent holds up a picture of Bailey to him. "She in some kind of trouble?"

"You could say that." The FBI agent puts the picture away. "Thanks for your time." She walks outside with Matt. "So, where would she go?" She looks at Matt. "Any ideas on why she called you?"

"No. I don't even know how she got my number." He looks out across the parking lot. "She said she was sorry, though."

"Yeah, that makes a big difference now, Parkman." She stares at him for a moment. "We have to find her."

"But where do we even start?" Matt looks at his friend and then out at the traffic driving past them.

"Tragedy is something that we are all familiar with. Tragedy is something that we don't want to happen and is something that we will never forget, and tragedy such as what happened with the Loft should never have happened to begin with." Nathan Petrelli listens to the thunderous applause around him as he stands outside the remains of the Loft. "This place should never have burned down to the ground. Those twenty lives should never have been extinguished. If the owner had adhered to those fire codes, then those people and this place would still be here. As your senator, I vow to make every business owner follow their fire codes because if they don't, then they will have to answer to me." Nathan listens to another round of applause. "Now, I would like to open up this press conference to the media, so who wants to be the first to throw in a question?"

"Will the owner be brought up on charges?"

"Not at this time, but there is still an ongoing investigation into this fire. Next?"

"Was it arson, or was that ruled out completely?"

"I believe it was ruled out completely and that the fire had begun in the kitchen, which was not up to date on the fire codes."

"According to the Coroner's Office and the CDC, half of the people that died in the fire died from heart failure not smoke inhalation or burns. Should the public become concerned over a new contagion?"

"As of this moment, the CDC had issued a statement that there are no signs of a new contagion…"

"So, you're telling me that ten people just got a heart attack at the same time?" Nathan stares at the reporter. "Is such a thing even possible?"

"I don't know if such a thing is possible, but the survivors of this tragic fire are all in perfect health, showing no signs of a disease of any kind."

"Then, what killed those people?"

"I don't know." Nathan stares at the reporter, who jots something down on his notepad. "I wish I did," he adds.

Watching the news conference on TV, Matt sees someone standing in the crowd. He walks over to the TV and looks at the screen. He sees Bailey standing in the crowd, staring at Nathan Petrelli.

Later that night, Petrelli's aide knocks on Petrelli's office door before walking in. He watches Petrelli sort through some paperwork. He clears his throat as Petrelli looks at him.

"What's up?"

"You have a visitor, but if you want to go home, I can tell her to come back first thing tomorrow morning."

"Who is it?"

"One of the victims from the fire at the Loft." Petrelli looks at him. "You want me to tell her to come back?"

"No. No. Let her in, but I would like to go home afterward. So, if anyone else comes in, just tell them to come back first thing tomorrow morning."

"Okay." The aide walks outside for a moment and gestures to someone waiting nearby. "Mr. Petrelli, this is Janice." He lets Bailey into the room and closes the office door behind her.

"Janice. Nice to meet you." Nathan reaches over his desk to shake her head and feels a shock when he touches her. "You can call me Nathan." He watches her take a seat in front of his desk. "So, what can I do for you?"

Walking into Nathan Petrelli's office, Matt bumps into the aide. He notices the aide looks over his police uniform. Their eyes meet a minute later.

"Can I help you, officer?"

"I just need to speak with Mr. Petrelli for a minute."

"I'm sorry. He's with someone, and then he is going home. Can this wait until tomorrow morning?"

"I guess. Can I ask who he is with?"

"Just one of the victims from the fire at the Loft." The aide starts to walk out of the office.

"Was it a woman?" The aide turns to look at him.

"Yeah. Her name was Janice." He leaves the office.

A moment later, Matt turns to look at Petrelli's closed door. "That's my wife's name."

"I just wanted to thank you for coming out in support of the tragedy at the Loft."

"Well, Janice, it was indeed a tragedy, one that could have been very much avoided. I just wish that there was more that I could do."

"You could have flown to their rescue if you were around late last night."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"I think you should leave." He gets up from his desk.

Bailey stands up from the chair. "Why? Because I know you can fly?"

"Get out!"

"Trust me when I say that I didn't want to do this. All you had to do was go with them. Now, I have to bring you to them."

Suddenly, Nathan feels a tightening in his chest. He tries to breathe. Falling to the ground, he can hear his heart echo in his ears.

"Bailey!" She turns around to see Matt standing behind her with his gun drawn from its holster. "Let him go!"

"Stay out of this, Matt. This has nothing to do with you." She stands near Nathan.

"I'm not going to ask you again, Bailey. Let him go!" She ignores him, watching the consciousness slip away from Nathan. "Damn it, Bailey!"

A moment later, the sound of Matt's gun echoes throughout the office. Matt looks down at his feet and then toward Bailey. He lowers his gun and shakes his head. "Oh my God." He stares at the bullet lying by Bailey's feet.

Consciousness returns to Nathan, who starts to cough. He sits up on the floor, rubbing his chest. He looks from Bailey to Matt and then back at Bailey. "What the hell is she?"

Staring at the bullet by her feet, Bailey's mind goes blank. She rubs her forehead and sits back down in the office chair. Pushing her hair to the side, there is the same symbol on her neck that Matt and Ted have, and Matt sees the mark.

"I think I am going to be sick."

"Bailey, where were you for a month?" Bailey turns to look at Matt.

"I don't know. I just remember the last few days."

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on!" Nathan is now on his feet and standing away from Bailey.

"Someone has been abducting people like me and Bailey here…"

"There was a man with thick glasses and a quiet, scary guy that came to my hospital room a month ago. That's all I remember." Nathan stares at Bailey. "They wanted me to get you, but I can't remember where. I feel like my mind just blanked." She continues to rub her forehead.

"I know who she is talking about. They tried to take me once before, but I escaped." Nathan slowly walks over to his chair and sits down in it. "I guess they haven't forgotten about me." He turns to look at Bailey. "You say that they are abducting people. What are they doing to them exactly?" He looks at Matt before looking back at Bailey.

"I'm not sure. I think they are enhancing our abilities."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know."

"And our friend here? Is killing her ability?"

"I don't know." Matt stares at Bailey and then at the bullet still on the floor.

"What about you?" Matt looks at Nathan.

"I can hear people's thoughts. What about you?"

"Me? I don't have…"

"He can fly."

"And that you remember?" Bailey almost smiles at him. "Yeah, I can fly, but if either of you let that leak out… I'll let people know about you. Now, take your friend, and get out of my office."

"They'll try to get you, Mr. Petrelli."

"Let me worry about that." He watches Matt grab Bailey by the arm and help her up to her feet. "Are you going to look for them, officer?"

"I'm going to try and then find out what they are doing to us."

"Keep me updated." Nathan looks at Bailey.

"I wasn't going to kill you."

"That's hard to believe especially after you murdered those people at the Loft." Bailey looks away.

"We'll be in touch." Matt pushes her out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Letting out a big sigh, Nathan Petrelli rubs his face. His eyes start to water, but he doesn't let himself cry. Instead, he opens a desk drawer, pulling out a whiskey cask.

Outside Petrelli's office, Matt handcuffs Bailey's hands behind her back. He reads Bailey her rights. Then, he walks her out of the office.

"Aren't you going to say anything, Bailey?"

"There's nothing left to say, Mr. Parkman."

Putting her in the backseat of his car, Matt leans in and looks at her. "You can call me Matt." He closes the door and walks over to the driver's side.

A moment later, the car speeds off toward the FBI headquarters. Looking in the rearview mirror, Matt sees tears running down Bailey's face. Sighing, he continues to drive. "It's going to be a long night."


	3. Chapter 3

Heroes: Dark Beginnings

By Melissa Rachel

The silence of the night whispers from a shovel digging into the earth somewhere nearby. A wind carries a sadness as warm tears touch the dirt below them. The light of the full moon dares not to come closer to the two shadows in the woods.

Hands bound behind her back by masking tape, Bailey Winters looks at the man, who continues to dig a hole in the ground. Tears run down her face as she tries to speak through the masking tape across her mouth. Lying against the cold ground, her eyes move up toward the moon and then back to the man, who now stares at her.

Trying to scream through her gag, Bailey is helpless as the man picks her up like a doll. She tries to kick him with her legs, but he continues to carry her toward the hole. She grabs the back of his shirt as he is about to throw her down into the earth.

Waking up in a pool of sweat, Bailey turns to look at Matt Parkman, who again sits beside her bed. She sees the look of concern on his face as she wipes the sweat off her forehead. She winces when Matt reaches over to push away a strand of hair from her face.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No." She still sees the concern on his face. "It's nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Matt? Can I have a word?"

Turning to look over his shoulder, Matt sees FBI Agent Audrey Hanson standing in the doorway. She is holding a medical folder in her hands. A look of concern is etched across her face as well.

"Sure." Matt stands up from the chair. "I'll be back."

"I don't know why. You caught me. Go after the other two now." Matt just stares at her before leaving the room.

Walking out into the hallway, Matt watches Audrey close the door to Bailey's room. He glances at the two guards posted by her room. Walking a little away from them, he turns to look at Audrey.

"Everything alright, Matt?"

"Yeah. She… She just had a nightmare, a bad one too."

"Well, I got the results back from her lab work."

"And?"

"And she's still dying."

"Is there anything that the doctors can do for her?"

"Honestly, they never saw anything like this before. Her whole body chemistry is different from ours."

"How long does she have?"

"Less than a year."

"A month ago, her doctor gave her about a month, and she's still here."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters, that robber shot her in the stomach, and when you tried to shoot her, the bullet didn't even pierce her. Then, she was given a month to live, and then that went up to almost a year."

"So…"

"I don't know."

"You don't think it's because she killed those people back at the Loft, do you?"

"I don't know, Matt, but this whole thing really bothers me."

"This whole thing meaning her or everyone including me?" Audrey looks away. "I see."

"Look, you've been here since you brought her in. Why don't you go home to your wife, Janice? Bailey will still be here tomorrow. I'll make sure of it."

"What if Sylar comes for her?"

"Well, maybe Bailey can stop him." Audrey sighs. "Go home, Parkman. You look beat." She walks away from him. "_And you're getting too close to her_." Freezing in her steps, Audrey turns to look at him.

"I'm going, I'm going." Matt pretends not to have caught that last thought. "See you tomorrow." He pauses outside Bailey's room for a moment but then walks away.

"Help me! Someone help me! Please! Please help me!"

A motorcyclist hears Bailey's screams and slams on the brakes of his motorcycle. Taking his helmet off, he tries to pinpoint the direction of the screams. All he sees are dark trees until a young woman, dirty and bloody runs out into the highway with her hands bound behind her back with masking tape.

"Oh my God!" The motorcyclist runs over to her and quickly unbinds her hands. "Who did this to you?"

"This man… I think he's dead." The motorcyclist looks at her. "I think he's dead."

"Okay. Okay, calm down. Just calm down." He takes out his cell phone, but it is not receiving any service. "Damn it!" He looks at her when he notices a car coming in the opposite direction. "Just wait here." Bailey nods as she sits down on the ground. "Wait here."

The young man tries to flag down the car, but it doesn't stop. Instead, it swerves around him and continues down the highway. The young man steps back into the other lane as he stares at the car.

Suddenly, the motorcyclist is struck by another car. His body flips over the car. Landing hard on the cold pavement, the man tries to breathe as blood flows out across the dark highway.

Stumbling out of his car, a man starts to curse out loud about the motorcyclist standing in the middle of the road. He wrings his hands together when his eyes fall on Bailey. Their eyes meet, and the man starts to get back into his car.

Suddenly, the man feels a pain in his chest like he was stabbed. Stumbling back out onto the highway, he spins around, staring at Bailey, who is focusing on him. He is about to say something when he falls to the ground, dead.

Running over to the motorcyclist, Bailey puts her hands on his chest. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Her hands glow white, and a moment later, she is staring into the eyes of the motorcyclist, who is completely healed.

"What did you do to me?"

"I saved you."

"Why?' He looks over at the dead man in the road. "Did you kill him?"

"Yes." Bailey backs away from him. "I had to."

"To save me?" She nods.

"Look, just give me a ride back into town, and don't tell anyone about this. Please? Please?"

"Alright, but we can't leave him in the road. Help me move him closer to the woods."

"Alright." She can tell that the motorcyclist is now afraid of her. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just don't thank me." He walks away from her and toward the dead man.

Opening her eyes, Bailey stares out the window of the hospital. She watches kids play outside in the playground nearby. Sighing, she turns around and pushes her head more into her pillow.

The ride back to town was soaked in uncomfortable silence. Tension was tight as Bailey wraps her arms around the motorcyclist, who shivers at her touch. No more cars are seen on their way back to town.

Once in town, the motorcyclist lets Bailey off his bike. Without a look back, he takes off down the road. A few minutes later, he pulls the bike to the side and just sits there, taking in everything that had just happened.

Suddenly, he hears a beep on his cell phone. Pulling it out of his jacket pocket, he sees the phone now has service. Slowly he punches in three numbers: 911.

"Hey." Bailey opens her eyes to look at Matt. "I heard you're not eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Still feeling sick?"

"A little bit." She turns away from him and looks back out the window.

"I also heard that you haven't made an attempt to get out of bed, walk around a little."

"I don't want to."

"Bailey…"

"Just leave me alone, Matt. I'm done."

"Come on, Bailey." He sits down on her bed. "You're not done."

"There's nothing left for me. I'm a monster, and I should die."

"Now, I don't want to hear that, Bailey. You're not a monster."

"No? Tell that to the people that I killed." She turns to look at him.

"Are we talking about the ones at the Loft or other ones?"

"Maybe you should know the truth. Maybe then you can see the monster that I am."

"What are you talking about, Bailey?" She just stares at him. "Did you kill other people?"

The warmth from his skin was welcoming, and Bailey dug her fingers down into his shirt. She could feel him stumble as he tried to throw her down into the hole. She held on more, enjoying the life that she felt as the man continues to stumble. Falling into the hole, Bailey is thrown back onto the ground.

Using her knees, she works at the masking tape around her mouth until it starts to give away. She uses her knees to pull it off her mouth. She takes in a few breaths, enjoying the taste of air in her mouth.

Looking down into the hole, her eyes meet those of the dead man's. She notices his hands are clutching his chest. She enjoys the look of fear on his face.

Standing over the hole, Matt and Audrey stare down at the man. They turn around to see other FBI agents and the police scour the woods. Exchanging looks, they walk away from the grave, allowing the Coroner's Office to move the body.

Approaching another FBI agent, Audrey asks, "How many bodies have been found so far?"

"Five. All young women about Bailey's age."

"Bailey would have been six." Matt looks at Audrey.

"He picked the wrong girl."

"Same MO on all of them."

"Which is?" Matt looks at Audrey and then at the other agent. "What?"

"They were all beaten and raped, and then he buried them alive."

Biting on his lip, Matt turns to look back at the grave. His hands are now clenched into fists. He shakes his head as Audrey thanks the agent for the information.

"You're getting too close to her, Matt."

"This doesn't bother you one bit?"

"It does, and thanks to her, we have one less serial killer to worry about."

"It's just not right. It's not right, Audrey."

"What? What's not right?"

"What's happened to her." A moment passes. "And now, we're treating her like a criminal."

"She killed a lot of people, Matt. We can't overlook that." She shakes her head. "But she isn't a monster."

"She thinks she is."

"We'll find a way to help her, Matt."

"What if we can't?" He looks at Audrey. "What if she dies?" He shakes his head.

Lying in the hospital bed, Bailey turns to look out the window. She sees more kids play outside in the playground. Instead of turning away, she just watches them.

"Is this my thank you for not letting you die?" She turns to see HRG standing in her doorway.

"I failed your last job, so maybe."

"You didn't fail my last job. You scared him, which is enough for right now." He walks into her room. "Now, come on. I'm not going to let you waste away here. You're too valuable."

"What makes you think so?"

"Because I know you, and I can help you."

"So, now what?"

"Now? You come with me, and we'll see if we can find Sylar before anyone else does."

END.


	4. Chapter 4

Heroes Chapter 4: Dark Lines

By, Melissa Rachel

The dark night is a veil of mystery and tension. The only sounds that echo throughout the darkness are the sounds of tires coursing through an abandoned road. Headlights pierce the blackness, but the veil clings to the car. An evil is breathing through this dark night, and its fingers are those of the cold wind whistling through the driver's window.

Suddenly, a cell phone breaks the silence. The driver jumps but for a moment. He picks up the phone and places it to his ear. "Yes?"

"HRG?"

"Yes. Bailey? What's wrong?"

"Eden's dead."

"What!"

"She killed herself." HRG sighs loudly. "Sylar escaped too."

"What!"

"He's gone, but he killed everyone that got in his way. Almost everyone here is dead."

Clutching the steering wheel with one hand, HRG angrily shakes his head. "Where are you?"

"I'm still here on the base."

"Stay there."

"The police are here too including Parkman."

"Fine. Just don't let him see you. I'll call you on your cell when I get there."

"Okay." The call is disconnected.

"Damn it!"

The car swerves around on the empty road. It speeds back toward HRG's headquarters. A grayish cloud lingers in the air behind it before being swallowed up by the night.

Pacing back and forth in the waiting room of an ER, Nathan Petrelli looks up to see a doctor approach him. The expression on his face reminds Nathan of the doctor that told him about his wife's condition after the accident. A knot forms in the pit of his stomach as the doctor now stands in front of him.

"How's my brother?"

"Mr. Petrelli, your brother is no longer critical. However, he is still unstable. We have him on oxygen at the moment."

"Well, what's wrong with him?"

"We don't know."

"You don't know? What the hell do you mean that you don't know!"

"Honestly, we can't find anything wrong with him except for a virus."

"Well, is this virus making him this sick?"

"Again, we don't know. We are running more tests."

"So, when will you know?"

"Hopefully, tomorrow."

"Until then?"

"He is under supervision, and again, we are running more tests." Nathan shakes his head and looks away. "There's not too much that we can do for him at the moment but keep him on the oxygen."

"Can I see him?" Nathan looks at the doctor.

"Yes. Follow me." He walks out of the waiting room.

A few minutes later, Nathan is standing by Peter's bed. He doesn't like how his brother looks so pale. Taking his hand, his eyes meet his brother's gaze. "How're you doing, Peter?"

"How's it look?" He starts to cough.

"Well, don't worry. The doctors are doing what they can to help you." However, he doesn't believe his own words.

"Nobody can help me."

"Don't say that, Peter."

"No, Nathan, nobody can help me. I kill everyone, Nathan. Everyone including you!"

"Peter..."

"I saw it, Nathan. I saw it." He starts to cough harder as Nathan continues to hold his other hand.

"We'll get through this, Peter. We'll get through this!" He squeezes his brother's hand as Peter looks at him. "I promise you that."

Walking into his headquarters, HRG spots Matt Parkman taking a statement from a shaken up woman. He watches her brush her tears aside as she recounts what happened earlier. Realizing that Parkman is now staring at him, HRG turns to walk away.

Excusing himself from the woman, Matt hurries over to HRG. "Going somewhere?"

"Actually, yes, I am. I would like to check on the rest of my staff."

"Well, they're all either having their statements taken, or they are in the hospital or the morgue."

"I see." They are now facing each other.

"So, where were you tonight?"

"Why do you ask, officer?"

"Oh, I don't know." He walks very close to HRG. "I was just wondering if you were kidnapping other people. You know? Like me?"

"Maybe you should focus your efforts on finding Sylar. We both know that he did this, and he is out there now, probably killing more people."

"People like me? People like Clare?" He sees he hit a nerve with that statement. "Maybe you shouldn't mess with people. This is what happens when you do."

Suddenly, HRG's cell phone goes off. "Excuse me, officer." He answers the phone and moves away from him.

"This isn't over!" He walks away from him.

"This is far from over." He watches Matt walk away. "Yes?" He listens to the person on the other end of the call. "Is he stable? How bad is he? I see. I'll be there shortly. Just stay there." He disconnects his call and turns to look at Matt, who is watching him.

"I still need your statement."

"You'll have it, officer." He leaves the room that they are in.

As he walks away, Matt tries to read his mind. He doesn't hear the static like before. However, he can pick nothing up when he suddenly hears, "_I have to get her to the hospital to help Petrelli_." Staring after HRG, Matt wonders if he is talking about Bailey.

Walking into the men's bathroom, Nathan turns the sink on. He starts to wash his hands. Turning toward where the paper towels are, he realizes that someone is standing behind him. He looks to see that it is the Haitian.

Grabbing him from behind and covering his mouth, the Haitian ignores Nathan's attempts to break free from his grip. He waits till he calms down a little. Then, he puts his face very close to Nathan's ear. "We need to talk. It's about your brother." Nathan stops struggling. "I am going to let go of you now. If you do not resist me, you won't be harmed. Do you understand?" Nathan nods. "Good." He lets go of him.

"What the hell do you want, and what the hell do you know about my brother?" The Haitian walks right up to Nathan. "What do you want?" He tries to hide his fear, but the Haitian sees it.

"I am going to help you, Mr. Petrelli, and then you are going to help me." Nathan stares at the Haitian.

Walking into the hospital, HRG guides Bailey toward Peter Petrelli's room. He looks around for Nathan but doesn't see him. He smiles, thinking that the Haitian took care of him like he asked. Turning to look at Bailey, he sees that she is uneasy. "You know that you have to do this, don't you, Bailey?"

"I just don't know how much life I have left in me. If I do this, then I might die."

"If you don't do this, then Sylar will win, and you might die anyway." He watches that sink in for a moment. "How were the treatments coming along?"

"I can control my… Ability now. However, your doctors still didn't find a cure for me. I still have to take life to live."

"There is no cure, Bailey." They are now standing outside Peter's room. "Your body chemistry is too different, too complex."

"So, I still have to kill people to live?"

"Yes. Yes, you do, and you know what you have to do now." He opens the door to Peter's room. "This has to be done."

"I understand." She walks into the room, and HRG walks in behind her and closes the door to the room.

Walking into the ER, Matt asks a nurse where Peter's room is. He walks down a hallway toward the room. Looking around, he gets an uneasy feeling. Cautiously approaching the room, he puts his ear against the door, trying to hear if anything was going inside.

"Who are you?" Peter looks up at Bailey and then over at HRG. "It's you. Clare's father?"

"That's right, Peter, and do you remember what I told you?" Peter shakes his head. "I told you that I would be there when you needed me." He gestures to Bailey.

"What is she doing?" He watches Bailey put her hands on his chest.

"She is going to help you."

Suddenly, Matt comes into the room with his gun drawn. "Nobody move! Bailey, what are you doing!"

"She is going to help him, Mr. Parkman."

"No. She's not."

Suddenly, HRG grabs Matt and forces the gun out of his hand. He pushes him against the wall. Glaring at him, he said, "You are really becoming annoying." He pins Matt against the wall. "Now, Bailey! Do it now!"

Suddenly, white light pours out of Bailey's hands and into Peter's chest. Closing her eyes, she continues to pour white light into him. She opens her eyes and stares at Peter, who looks back at her.

"Thank you." Peter passes out.

Letting go of Matt, HRG grabs Bailey, who is now unconscious as well. He turns to look at Matt, who is checking Peter's pulse. Their eyes meet before he looks at Bailey in HRG's arms.

"What have you done?"

"I did what I had to do. He's the only one that can stop Sylar." He picks Bailey up in his arms.

"And Bailey?"

"She's alive."

"Then, give her to me." HRG smiles at him. "I mean it." He looks over at his gun still on the floor.

"If I were you, I would protect this man here." He gestures over to Peter. "When he wakes up, he is going to be stronger but not strong enough to take Sylar out yet."

"Who do you think you are? What do you think you are doing?"

"I am saving people like you, like Peter, and like Bailey here. Instead of being my problem, you can be a solution." The Haitian walks into the room and stands behind HRG. "It's done." HRG hands Bailey to the Haitian who starts to leave the room.

"You just can't take her like that!" The Haitian turns to look at him.

"Should I handle him?" HRG is surprised to hear the Haitian speak.

"What? Like before?" Matt glares at him.

"No. He can't do anything." HRG starts to leave the room.

"Like hell I can't?" He starts to move toward them.

Suddenly, HRG punches him in the face, rendering Matt unconscious. He watches him fall to the floor. His gaze shifts from him to the Haitian. "The things that I have to do to make things right." He walks past the Haitian. "Let's go!" The Haitian follows him out of the room with Bailey still in his arms.

END.


	5. Chapter 5

Heroes Chapter Five: Faded Alliances

By, Melissa Rachel

HRG HEADQUATERS 

Sitting in a conference room, HRG listens to someone on the other end of his cell phone. He taps his fingers uneasily against the wooden table in front of him. He frowns and tries to speak, but the person on the other end cuts him off. He just nods and watches the Haitian stroke Bailey's face as she lies on the floor near the table. "I understand, sir!" He disconnects the call. "Is she awake yet!"

"No." The Haitian stands up from the floor and looks at HRG.

"Damn it!" HRG remains sitting in the leather chair. "This is a nightmare." He looks at Bailey and then at the Haitian. "How long have you been able to speak?"

"For awhile." He remains standing where he is.

"For awhile? Are you still with me?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" The Haitian stares at him. "Eden was with me, but she betrayed me nonetheless. " The Haitian continues to look at him. "Are you with me!"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Prove it." The Haitian stares at him confused. "Make Bailey forget about Officer Parkman."

"She has not regained consciousness yet…"

"I don't care! Do it! Now!" The Haitian looks down at Bailey, who starts to wake up. "Now!" The Haitian looks back at HRG.

Leaning over Bailey, the Haitian puts his hands against her head. His eyes meet hers as he starts to concentrate. His grip tightens around her head.

"Please… No…"

"I am sorry."

Bailey struggles against his grip. She is horrified that her body is paralyzed. She starts to cry, and as the Haitian's power seizes her mind, she screams out loud.

HOSPITAL 

Matt Parkman wakes up to find himself in a chair near Peter Petrelli's bed. Groaning, he rubs the right side of his face, where HRG had hit him. Looking at Peter, he realizes that someone else is watching him. He realizes that it's Nathan, who now approaches him.

"You okay?"

"What happened? How long was I out?" Matt looks at Nathan, who crosses his arms across his chest.

"For awhile. Now, what the hell happened in here!"

"HRG was here."

"Who?"

"This guy… You know what? It's a long story. Anyway, he brought Bailey with him."

"The one that tried to kill me?"

"Yes." Matt watches Nathan approach Peter's bed and touch Peter's hand.

"What did she do to him?"

"I think she made him better."

"I think you're right. He is better. He just hasn't woken up yet."

"Yeah. Well… When he does, let me know." Matt stands up from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

"To find Bailey."

"You think that's a good idea?" Matt looks at Nathan. "Maybe this HRG is watching over her for a good reason."

"Do you know something that I don't?" Matt and Nathan study each other. "Is there anything that I should know?"

"No. How should I reach you when my brother wakes up?"

"Here's my card." He pulls out a white card from his wallet.

Handing it to Nathan, he watches him take the card. He holds onto the card for a minute as he and Nathan study each other. Letting go of the card, Matt walks away from Nathan and approaches the door leading out into the hospital.

"Be careful." Matt turns to look at Nathan. "She might have helped my brother, but she is still dangerous."

"No, she's not." He leaves the room as Nathan turns to look at Peter, who is still asleep.

CLARE'S HOUSE 

Clare is looking at a picture of herself and her friend that was killed by Sylar. She starts to cry as she holds the picture against her chest. Looking up, she sees her father standing in the doorway, watching her. "Hi, daddy."

"Hey, sweetheart." HRG walks over to her and sits on the bed. "You okay?"

"I can't believe she's gone. I can't believe that she was murdered."

"I know, honey. I know." He puts his arm around Clare. "How are you doing? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine." She gives her father a big smile. "How are you? How was work?"

"I had a bad day yesterday. There's some things that I have to work out, but I wanted to check in on you first. I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" She looks at her father, who gazes at her. "Am I in trouble or something?"

"No. No. Not at all." He kisses her on top of her head. "I was just worried about you handling the death of your friend. That's all." He gets up from the bed. "If you need me, call me on my cell."

"I know." Clare continues to hold the picture of her and her friend. "I'll be okay, dad."

"I know you will be, Clare. I'll talk to you later." HRG leaves the room.

Looking at the picture, Clare tosses it aside. She waits a moment and then hears the front door close. Looking out the window, she sees her father approach a car parked across the street. She watches him talk to a man behind the steering wheel and point to the house. For a moment, she thinks that her father sees her watching him, but then he resumes talking to the man again. She watches him walk away from the car and toward his own car.

Picking up the phone, Clare dials a number. She listens as the phone rings. Finally, the Haitian answers her call. "He just left."

"Did he believe you forgot?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Good. Just remember what we talked about."

"You're not going to hurt him, are you?"

"No. Just be ready for when the time comes." The call is disconnected.

"I'll be ready." Still holding the phone, Clare lets out a deep sigh. "I'll be ready."

HOSPITAL 

Peter is dreaming. He is standing in the middle of the city like before, but this time, nobody is around. Suddenly, he is facing Sylar, and just as Sylar is about to attack him, white light strikes him.

Turning to his right, Peter watches Bailey attack Sylar with her white light. She smiles as he falls to the ground. Her eyes glow white as Sylar starts to die.

Peter runs over to Bailey to stop her from killing Sylar, but she points one of her hands at him. White light strikes him, bringing him to his knees. He calls to her to stop, but his cries fall on deaf ears. She is killing him, and she knows it. He knows that nobody can stop her not even Sylar.

Suddenly, Peter sits up in his bed. He is covered in sweat. Pushing strands of hair out of his face, he realizes that Nathan is standing beside his bed.

"Peter, I've been so worried!" Nathan embraces him. "Peter, what's wrong?"

"It's Bailey."

"What?"

"We have to stop her, Nathan. We… We have to stop her."

"What did you see, Peter?" Nathan stares at him.

"She kills Sylar, but then she kills me."

"What?"

"We're so worried about Sylar, but she's more stronger than him. She's more dangerous." Peter stares at his brother. "If we don't stop her, nobody will!"

Peter starts to unhook himself from the machines around him. He is about to get out of bed when dizziness hits him. Shaking it off, he tries to get out of bed again.

"Peter, you need to rest. You've been through a lot."

"No. No, Nathan. I can't be here. I have to go."

"Go? Go where?"

"I have to find her."

"The cop is already looking for her."

"Cop?" Peter remembers Parkman had tried to stop Bailey from helping him. "We're going to need his help."

"Peter, this is insane." He tries to get his brother to stay in bed.

"Nathan." His brother looks at him. "If we don't stop her, she is going to kill and keep killing. Please. Help me. Help me find her."

"And what do we do when we find her?" Nathan and Peter stare at each other.

"We stop her." Peter gets out of bed.

"Okay. Let me call the cop because we are going to need his help." Nathan starts to walk out of the room.

"Nathan?" His brother looks at him. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Peter. You have no idea what you put me through or what you will put me through." He storms out of the room as Peter watches him.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Chapter 6

Heroes Chapter Six: Remembrance

By, Melissa Rachel

FLASHBACK 

Hands bound behind her back by masking tape, Bailey Winters looks at the man, who continues to dig a hole in the ground. Tears run down her face as she tries to speak through the masking tape across her mouth. Lying against the cold ground, her eyes move up toward the moon and then back to the man, who now stares at her.

Trying to scream through her gag, Bailey is helpless as the man picks her up like a doll. She tries to kick him with her legs, but he continues to carry her toward the hole. She grabs the back of his shirt as he is about to throw her down into the earth.

The warmth from his skin is welcoming, and Bailey digs her fingers down into his shirt. She feels him stumble as he tries to throw her down into the hole. She holds on, enjoying the life that she feels as the man continues to stumble. Falling into the hole, the man throws Bailey back onto the ground.

Using her knees, she works at the masking tape around her mouth until it starts to give away. She uses her knees to pull it off her mouth. She takes in a few breaths, enjoying the taste of air in her mouth.

Looking down into the hole, her eyes meet those of the dead man's. She notices his hands are clutching his chest. She enjoys the look of fear on his face.

A few minutes later, Bailey is running through the woods, screaming for help. "Help me! Someone help me! Please! Please help me!"

A motorcyclist hears Bailey's screams and slams on the brakes of his motorcycle. Taking his helmet off, he tries to pinpoint the direction of the screams. All he sees are dark trees until a young woman, dirty and bloody runs out into the highway with her hands bound behind her back with masking tape.

"Oh my God!" The motorcyclist runs over to her and quickly unbinds her hands. "Who did this to you?"

"This man… I think he's dead." The motorcyclist looks at her. "I think he's dead."

"Okay. Okay, calm down. Just calm down." He takes out his cell phone, but it is not receiving any service. "Damn it!" He looks at her when he notices a car coming in the opposite direction. "Just wait here." Bailey nods as she sits down on the ground. "Wait here."

The young man tries to flag down the car, but it doesn't stop. Instead, it swerves around him and continues down the highway. The young man steps back into the other lane as he stares at the car.

Suddenly, the motorcyclist is struck by another car. His body flips over the car. Landing hard on the cold pavement, the man tries to breathe as blood flows out across the dark highway.

Stumbling out of his car, a man starts to curse out loud about the motorcyclist standing in the middle of the road. He wrings his hands together when his eyes fall on Bailey. Their eyes meet, and the man starts to get back into his car.

Suddenly, the man feels a pain in his chest like he was stabbed. Stumbling back out onto the highway, he spins around, staring at Bailey, who is focusing on him. He is about to say something when he falls to the ground, dead.

Running over to the motorcyclist, Bailey puts her hands on his chest. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Her hands glow white, and a moment later, she is staring into the eyes of the motorcyclist, who is completely healed.

"What did you do to me?"

"I saved you."

"Why?' He looks over at the dead man in the road. "Did you kill him?"

"Yes." Bailey backs away from him. "I had to."

"To save me?" She nods.

"Look, just give me a ride back into town, and don't tell anyone about this. Please? Please?"

"Alright, but we can't leave him in the road. Help me move him closer to the woods."

"Alright." She can tell that the motorcyclist is now afraid of her. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just don't thank me." He walks away from her and toward the dead man.

Dropping her off in town, Bailey is about to walk off toward the bus station when she sees HRG. She backs away from him when the Haitian grabs her from behind. This is all she remembers up to now.

PRESENT DAY

Bailey sits in the front passenger seat of HRG's car as he talks to someone on his cell phone. She twirls a lock of brown hair around her finger as her gaze settles on a man arguing with a young woman nearby. She watches the woman repeatedly try to walk away from him, but the man continues to grab the woman by the arm and pull her back toward him. Smiling, Bailey continues to watch them.

"Was that really necessary, Bailey?" She turns to look at HRG before looking back at the man, who is now dead on the ground. "I told you not to draw attention to yourself."

"Oops." She watches the woman burst into tears as she screams for help. "Besides, you made me waste life on that Petrelli guy back at the hospital."

"Because we need him."

"I can kill Sylar." She looks at HRG. "We don't need the other guy."

"I would still feel better if I had both of you going up against Sylar." He studies Bailey, who continues to curl a strand of hair around her finger. "And stop curling your hair." She gives him an annoyed look. "They know your MO."

"I have an MO?"

"Yes, Bailey, you do. They'll know that you are still in Texas now."

"Oh well."

"Bailey, I am not playing games with you, do you understand me?" He leans closer to her. "Do you understand me?" She gets uncomfortable under his scrutinizing stare.

"Yes. Yes, I understand you."

"So, follow the plan."

"Right. Follow the Petrelli guy and his buddies around until Sylar finds them, and then take Sylar out."

"Right. Also, remember that the cop with them can read minds, and they will be looking for you. Stay close, but keep your mind clear."

"No problem. What if they leave Texas, though?"

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because you just killed someone, Bailey!"

"Oh, right."

"Get out of the car."

"How long will you be in New York for?"

"For awhile. Just keep your cell on. Now, get out of the car." He watches Bailey exit from the car. "And Bailey?" She turns to look at him. "No more killing people."

"Party pooper." He glares at her. "Okay, okay. Understood." She walks away from the car as HRG shakes his head.

AFTERNOON 

Nathan, Peter, and Matt stand over the dead body of the man that Bailey killed. They exchange looks as they walk away from the crime scene. Looking around, they draw closer and wonder what Bailey is going to do next.

"I told you that she was dangerous." Nathan glares at Matt.

"It's not like her to kill a complete stranger or kill for no reason." Matt looks over at the woman, who is still crying. "She must have been real close to see that couple fight."

"She still had no right to kill that man."

"What I can't believe is that Claire's father is responsible for this. I mean… He helped me."

"By using her, Peter, and the last time that I saw Bailey, he was holding her in his arms." Matt shakes his head. "What did he do to her?"

"Nothing, Matt. She was killing people before she met up with him."

"She was getting better."

"Like hell she was!"

"You weren't there at the hospital, Nathan!"

"Guys, this isn't helping. Obviously, she is still here in Texas. We can find her, and we can stop her."

"Stop her how, Peter? How exactly do you propose to stop her?"

"You have a gun, don't you?" Matt glares at Nathan. "I suggest you use it."

"No!"

"Guys! Let's focus on finding Bailey first, okay?"

"And where do you propose to start, Peter?"

"How about searching the area, Nathan?"

"Peter and I can do it. You can go back to New York and run your campaign." Matt walks away from them.

"Forget it! This girl is a menace, and I am not leaving my brother alone to deal with her or this Sylar. You're stuck with me." Nathan and Matt are now face to face. "Just deal with it."

"Fine. Have it that way." Matt glares at Nathan, who returns his glare.

"Are you two done!" They look at Peter. "Come on. Let's find Bailey!" He walks away from them.

Watching nearby, Bailey grins like a cat that has spotted a canary. She waits until they walk a distance away, and then she slowly follows them. She keeps her mind clear as she watches the three men that search for her. She knows this is going to be interesting and maybe even fun when she takes them and Sylar down.


	7. Chapter 7

Heroes Chapter Seven: Savoring My Tears

By, Melissa R. Mendelson

MOTEL 

Sitting on the floor of the dark bathroom, Bailey leans against the tiled wall. Tears fall down her face as moonlight streams in through the window. Wiping her tears away, she wraps her arms around her legs and closes her eyes.

FLASHBACK 

"Bailey, I am not playing games with you, do you understand me?" HRG leans closer to her. "Do you understand me?" She gets uncomfortable under his scrutinizing stare.

"Yes. Yes, I understand you."

"So, follow the plan."

"Right. Follow the Petrelli guy and his buddies around until Sylar finds them, and then take Sylar out."

"Right. Also, remember that the cop with them can read minds, and they will be looking for you. Stay close, but keep your mind clear."

"No problem. What if they leave Texas, though?"

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because you just killed someone, Bailey!"

MOTEL 

"I didn't mean to." Bailey leans her head against the wall behind her. "I'm just so angry!"

Remembering back to that night when that man stole her life, Bailey shudders. She would have gone home, but then she runs into HRG and the Haitian. She trades one nightmare for another, and now she has to work with them. It's the only way to get a cure for whatever she has that requires her to take life to live, but what if there is no cure? "Then, I'm a monster."

FLASHBACK 

"Still feeling sick?"

"A little bit." She turns away from Matt and looks back out the window.

"I also heard that you haven't made an attempt to get out of bed, walk around a little."

"I don't want to."

"Bailey…"

"Just leave me alone, Matt. I'm done."

"Come on, Bailey." He sits down on her bed. "You're not done."

"There's nothing left for me. I'm a monster, and I should die."

"Now, I don't want to hear that, Bailey. You're not a monster."

"No? Tell that to the people that I killed." She turns to look at him.

MOTEL 

"Who are you?" Bailey rubs her forehead. "I know you, but I can't remember. Matt? Matt? Matt what?" She leans her head against her legs. "Why can't I remember you?"

If she had found someone to connect to, it would have been enough for Bailey to try and control her rage. That desire to lash out would not have won her over like it did with that couple arguing, but she never found that person. Instead, she was found by HRG. "What if Matt was the one that I was supposed to connect to," but her only answer is the silence in the motel room.

2nd MOTEL

Nathan Petrelli is on his cell phone as his brother sits on one bed. He glances at Matt, who watches him. Turning his back on the cop, Nathan finishes his call. "Just tuck the kids in for me, and tell them that I'll be home soon. I love you." He disconnects the call.

"Everything okay?" Nathan looks at Matt before answering him.

"Everything's fine." Nathan sits on the bed next to Peter, who is in deep thought. "What are you thinking about, Peter?" He turns to look at his brother.

"I thought it would be funny if Bailey were at the same motel as us."

"Yeah, that would be funny, Peter."

"Yeah." Matt smiles when he realizes something, and he can tell that the Petrelli's saw the look on his face. "But it wouldn't hurt to check out. She might be closer than we think."

"Let's look then." Nathan gets up from the bed. "The sooner we find her, the more I'll feel better."

"Then, we have to find and then deal with Sylar." Nathan closes his eyes as Peter says that name.

"Yeah. Let's go." Matt leads the way out of their motel room.

MOTEL

The door to Bailey's motel room opens. Black shoes quietly walk inside as the door gently closes behind the person. A shadow is cast along the wall by the full moon shining into the room, and the person sees that the bed is still made. Continuing toward the bathroom, eyes fall on Bailey, who fell asleep on the bathroom floor.

"And here I thought that you were not broken like the others." Bailey opens her eyes to see Sylar standing next to her. "I guess I was wrong." He kneels beside her.

"So, kill me. You'll be doing me a favor."

"What if I don't want to kill you?" Bailey is now staring into Sylar's brown eyes.

"Then, what do you want?"

"I want HRG and the Haitian."

"HRG is in New York, but I don't know where the Haitian is. The guy is like a ghost."

"I'll start with New York then."

"Fine. Are we done?"

"There's something else that I want."

"And what is that?"

"Peter Petrelli. You've been following him and the other two around."

"So, you've been watching me."

"And I saw you just kill that guy without even touching him while you were sitting in HRG's car."

"What's your point, Sylar?"

"Kill the two with Peter Petrelli, and then bring Peter to me."

"And if I don't?"

"Then, I'll do worse than kill you."

"Which is what!"

"I'll bury you alive like that guy was going to do." He walks away from her. "I'm giving you a few days, Bailey, and then I am coming to collect. For your sake, it better be Peter Petrelli." He leaves the motel room as tears fall down Bailey's face.

"What am I going to do?" Bailey angrily brushes her tears away. "Damn it!"

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Heroes: The Journey Home

By, Melissa Rachel

"**_Darkness. It's what keeps me. It's where I wake up. No matter how much I want to escape it, I put myself here. Does that make me evil? Was I meant to be evil? Should I never have cursed having an ordinary life up to that night? If I just listened to myself, I would never have fallen into darkness_**."

Bailey Winters's thoughts are interrupted by an old woman sitting across from her on the bus. She watches the old woman point to a single tear sliding down her face. Wiping it away, Bailey gives her a small smile and then turns to look out the large window next to her. A moment later, she realizes that she has arrived in her town.

Stepping off the bus, Bailey suddenly shudders. This is where the guy that she had saved had dropped her off. In the corner of her mind, she could see the ghost of herself run down the street toward the bus, where she would get on it, ignore the stares of those around her, and ride off into nowhere. In a blink of an eye, the vision is gone, and Bailey now has her arms wrapped herself. Is she ready for this?

The ten minutes feel like eternity as the cab takes Bailey to her parents' house. She laughs to herself at how the neighborhood still remains the same. Her smile fades as she steps out of the cab and stands in front of her parents' house. A knot forms in her stomach, and she jumps from the sound of the cab taking off down the street.

Bailey's feet feel like lead as she readies her shaky hand and knocks on the front door. Part of her hopes that the knocks will go unanswered. Yet, she knows that they are home, waiting for some kind of sign that she would come back to them.

Suddenly, the door is thrown open, and Bailey finds herself in the arms of her father, a man that never hugged her. His grip tightens around her as she hears her mother let out a loud cry before wrapping her arms around the two of them. For a moment, time froze, and the three of them are one. However, moments like these never last, and they are soon facing each other in the family room.

"I really don't remember anything." Bailey could see the pained look on her mother's face as her father sits next to her.

"But you were shot. Don't you remember being shot? Don't you remember being in the hospital?" Bailey shakes her head at her father's questions. "Well, what do you remember?"

"Just the night that I left." She notices her parents exchange looks. "What? What is it?"

"You haven't seen the news, Bailey?"

"No, mom. Why?"

"Because of you, the FBI found a serial killer and his victims." Bailey's father folds his hands together and looks down at them. "You were almost one of the victims, but you escaped. Is that why you ran away?" Bailey looks away as tears fill her eyes. "Did he hurt you?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She looks at her father. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm back."

"That's right. You're back." Bailey's mother comes over to her and hugs her. "I should call your brothers and sister to let them know that. They'll be so happy to know that you're back." The mother leaves the room.

Smiling, Bailey turns to look at her father, who is studying her. Her smile fades as her father looks down at his hands. Their eyes meet a moment later.

"You're not staying, are you?"

"No."

"Your mother and I don't fight anymore. We've patched things up."

"That's good, dad."

"But it's not why you are leaving, is it?" Bailey shakes her head. "Is it because of what happened to you?"

"That's part of it."

"And the other part?"

"It's complicated." Bailey moves over to him and puts her arm around his shoulder, which surprises her father. "But it has nothing to do with you or mom or anyone else. It's just something that I have to do."

"You're so grown up." Her father tugs at a strand of her hair. "What made you grow up?" Bailey hugs her father. "What turned my little girl into a woman?" His only answer is Bailey resting her head against his chest.

Shortly afterward, Bailey finds herself standing in her old bedroom. She used to love the posters, cds, and books that she had surrounded herself with. Now, they only feel empty to her. They are a part of someone that no longer existed, but the last thing that Bailey wanted is for her parents to realize what she had become, darkness.

"**_How long should she stay? A day? A week? Maybe a month? What about Sylar? He would find her again. When he does, he will kill her parents without mercy. She could not bear for that to happen. She couldn't stay too long. He would know by now that she ran. He would figure out where she went. No. She couldn't stay too long, and another day is all that she could risk_**."

And the next day goes by in a blink of an eye. Before Bailey could even prepare herself, she is trying to tell her mother why she had to go. All she could to comfort her is to promise over and over again that she would return and that she would keep in touch. Yet, if they knew what she is going to do, they would never have let her walk back out that door. They would have kept her in their arms. The haunting eyes of her parents' stayed with Bailey as she walked down toward a familiar place.

It is this place that he had found her. He watches her from this distance like she is watching the cashier ring up a customer. It chills Bailey to stand in the footsteps of a man that nearly ended her life. Now, another one has found her, and she would never let herself stand where he is for he is more than darkness but pure evil.

Moving on, Bailey knows where the last place of her visit will be. The stench of blood is strong in her mind. It is her blood that clings to her. The blood that he spilled had stained her clothes that night, but it is his life that Bailey took.

Standing over the grave, where the serial killer had come to his final resting place, Bailey kneels down and takes a handful of dirt. She drops it down into the now empty hole. Her eyes move up toward the yellow police tape before returning to the empty grave.

"Bailey."

"Sylar?" She doesn't look behind her.

"Sylar!" She now turns to see Matt, Nathan, and Peter standing behind her. "What do you mean? Sylar?"

"What do you want, Officer Parkman?" Her attention returns to the empty grave.

"I got a tip that you were heading here. You were spotted at the bus station."

"Good for you. Now, leave me alone."

"I'm afraid we can't do that." Bailey turns to look at Peter.

"If you want to live, you will."

"You have a lot of nerve to threaten my brother like that." Nathan glares at Bailey, who now looks at him. "Now, get up. You're coming with us."

"No." Bailey stands up and turns toward them. "I'm only going to ask once more. Leave me alone."

"What are you thinking of doing, Bailey?" Matt looks at her and then at the empty grave.

"It doesn't concern you."

"Yes, it does!"

"Give me a break, Matt! Obviously, she doesn't remember you. Can't you see that?"

"Shut up, Nathan!"

"Look, Bailey, I don't know what you are thinking of doing, but it isn't the right choice."

"It's none of your business, Peter. You should be back in New York with your brother not chasing after me. I saved your life."

"Yes, you did."

"And you still chased after me."

"To stop you."

"Stop me?"

"You're losing control." Matt edges closer to her.

"Am I?" Bailey's hands glow blue. "Try me." Matt freezes in his steps.

"Can't you just shoot her like before?"

"Nathan, will you shut up!" Matt turns to look at Bailey.

Suddenly, Bailey zaps Matt with a bolt of electricity from her hand. She feels like someone has stabbed her as Matt falls back onto the ground. He gasps for air as Bailey turns her attention to Nathan.

Despite her heart feeling like it was breaking in her chest, Bailey readies herself to zap Nathan when Peter steps in between them. His hands suddenly glow blue, and before Nathan can stop him, he zaps Bailey.

Blue streaks of electricity from Bailey and Peter meet each other in the air. As Peter pushes against Bailey's blasts, she starts to remember everything from the hospital to when she first meets Matt. She stops attacking Peter, and he suddenly does the same.

Running over to Matt, Bailey knows that he is slipping fast. Putting her hands on his chest, she closes her eyes, and her hands glow white. She knows Peter and Nathan watch her closely as she gives Matt two of her lives.

Sitting back, Bailey watches Matt rub his chest. His eyes meet hers. He is about to say something when a gunshot breaks the silence.

Blood trickles down Bailey's neck. Coldness seizes her. She turns to look at Nathan, who holds Matt's gun in his hand. She gaps one last breath and falls into the arms of Matt Parkman.

"What have you done!"

"I filled my end of a bargain. She was too dangerous, Matt. She was as dangerous as Sylar."

"But you didn't have to kill her!"

"Yes, I had to."

"Nathan, what did you do?"

"What I had to, Peter. What I always have to." Nathan starts to walk away from them.

Suddenly, a white flash is seen from the corner of Nathan's eye. He hears Bailey start to cough. He is about to turn around with the gun in his hand when Peter grabs it away from him. He looks at his brother and then at Bailey, who is still Matt's arms.

"Bailey? Bailey?"

"How the hell is that possible?" Nathan looks at Matt, who glares at him. "I shot her in the neck!"

"You killed her." Peter looks at him and then at Matt, who now looks at him. "You did kill her, Nathan."

"Bailey? Bailey?" Matt looks at Bailey, who opens her eyes to look at him.

"I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

"Great. She has amnesia." Nathan shakes his head.

"What do you mean? Don't you remember me?" Bailey shakes her head. "Bailey, what day is it?"

"October 5, 2006." Matt frowns. "Why?"

"What's wrong?" Matt looks up at Peter.

"That's the day before…" He looks at Bailey. "Before the attack." He looks out at the empty graves around him. "Before everything." He exchanges looks with Peter and Nathan. "She doesn't remember anything." He looks at Bailey, who rubs her neck, where the bullet hole had healed itself. "Not a thing."

END.


	9. Chapter 9

Heroes: Two Weeks

By, Melissa Rachel

**_Two weeks is not considered a lot of time, but how can there be so much change in one day and not in weeks? Time is always going, and change follows in every step. Everyone and everything changes with each moment that disappears, and what was is no longer there. So, how can nothing change over two weeks when everything changes in one day?_** M.R.M.

Matt Parkman rubs his forehead as he sits in a hospital chair near Bailey's bed. He glances at her as Bailey avoids eye contact with him, and he doesn't sense any of her thoughts. Sighing, Matt thinks back over the last two weeks and how everything has changed.

Peter Petrelli is now having nightmares of destroying the city and has disappeared. Nathan Petrelli is on a mission to find and help him. HRG is in New York City, and Matt would like nothing more than to corner him and figure out what he has done to Bailey as well as force him to tell him where the Haitian is. Sylar is still out there, and the FBI has continued to push Matt in allowing Bailey to go home, seeing how she has no more powers and the deaths that she caused are written off as unnatural deaths. Bailey had to be persuaded to come back to New York City and undergo tests, and if she could, she would go home; unaware of the danger she is in from HRG and Sylar as well as the Haitian.

"Matt?" Matt looks at Bailey and then realizes her doctor is standing in the doorway to the hospital room. "I hate to break that deep thought you seemed to be in, but can I have a word?"

"Sure." He turns to look at Bailey as he stands up from the chair. "I'll be right back, Bailey."

"You should go home to your wife, Matt." She still doesn't look at him.

"I will." He leaves the room. "I will go home as soon as I know you are safe," he mutters.

"We finished the testing." The doctor crosses her arms around the heavy folder she was carrying.

"And?"

"And she is still dying."

"How long does she have?"

"A year, according to our results. Look, Matt, we can't hold her here against her will, and I will be discharging her today." The doctor glances at Bailey, who is sitting up in her hospital bed. "Let her go home, Matt. Let her be with her family." The doctor starts to walk away.

"Wait a minute! Look, she's in danger. There are people after her, people that would want to hurt and kill her!"

"Matt, it's been two weeks. Nobody except for you and the FBI have been here. She's not in danger."

"Yes, she is!" Matt realizes he is now holding the doctor by her arm and lets go of her. "She is in danger."

"I'm sorry, Matt. I'm discharging her. Put her in police custody if you feel this way." The doctor hurries away from him.

"Maybe I can help?" Matt turns to see the Haitian standing behind him.

"You!" He reaches for his gun.

"Is that really necessary, Officer Parkman? I am not here to hurt you or Bailey."

"But you asked Nathan to kill her!"

"When she was a monster, I asked for her to be killed. Now, everything has changed. She is no longer a monster."

"Your boss send you here?" The Haitian stares at him. "You taking her back to HRG?"

"No."

"I don't believe you!" They are now face to face. "You're not taking her anywhere!"

"You don't have a choice, Mr. Parkman."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't, and if you want to remember her, then step aside."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Look, I understand the situation that Bailey is in. I do not want to take her back to HRG or let Sylar get her or her abilities if they are still there."

"Then, what do you want?"

"I want to hide her."

"Why?"

"Because I can help her. You can't, and you know that. I can make sure that Sylar and HRG do not find her, and I will keep her safe."

"And how can I trust you?"

"You can't, and I don't want to take away your memories of her. There seems to be a connection between the two of you, and I might need that later."

"For what?"

"In case we can't stop Sylar, then we must make Bailey become what she was before to stop him."

"And kill her afterward!"

"It depends on her." The Haitian and Matt continue to stare at each other. "Let me take her."

"Are you asking me now?"

"Yes."

"And if I say no?"

"Then, I still will, and you won't remember her." Matt's hand is still on his gun. "You don't have a choice either way, and this is the best way to keep her safe."

"How will I know if she is okay?"

"I'll call you."

"I only want her to be safe."

"Then, let me take her. We are wasting time."

"Fine, but I promise you that if you harm or kill her, I will make you suffer! Do you understand me!"

"Yes, but she will be safe with me."

"I hope so." Matt watches the Haitian walk away from him and into Bailey's room.

A few minutes later, the Haitian exits the hospital room with Bailey in his arms. He glances at Matt, whose hand is still on his gun. Turning away, the Haitian carries Bailey out of the hospital.

"What have I done?" Matt sighs. "What have I done?"

END.


	10. Chapter 10

Heroes: Cornered

By, Melissa Rachel

What if there is no escape for whatever Fate has in store for you? What if you have no choice but to do what you are supposed to despite not knowing what that is? How long can you stall for? How long can you scream for help? When will you finally accept your Fate?

The walls are sickened with a pale white color. There are no windows to know when the sun has risen or set. The floor is comforting with a forest green carpet. A TV with the news whispers into the confines of the room. Water echoes from a sink in the bathroom attached to it.

Suddenly, the metal door is thrown open, and the Haitian walks in. His brown eyes take in the room, but he does not see Bailey. Looking into the bathroom, he still doesn't see her.

Sneaking out of the closet, Bailey is about to step foot in the hallway when the Haitian grabs her and pulls her back into the room. Her eyes dart toward the door, but the Haitian blocks her way. She tries to move past him, but he grabs her again and pushes her further in the room.

"Let me out!" The Haitian crosses his arms over his chest. "You can't keep me prisoner in here!"

"You are not a prisoner."

"Yeah, right. Then, let me out." She steps closer to the Haitian, who doesn't even blink. "Move!"

"No, Bailey. This is where you have to be for now."

"Why!"

"Because there are people that are looking for you, and one of them wants you dead."

"So, I'll hide under my own terms."

"You can't go home, Bailey."

"I didn't say I would."

"We both know that you would, and the others know that. Nobody knows you are here."

"Except for that old woman that brings me food."

"Except for her."

"Please let me out of here. Please!"

"I cannot."

The Haitian pulls out a vanilla folder out from under his coat. He notices Bailey flinched when he reached under his coat. He hands her the file.

"What is this?" She takes the file from him.

"This is what the FBI has on you. You should read it."

"Why do they have a file on me?"

"I want you to try to remember that."

"I don't remember much. What did you do to me?"

"Nothing, and I won't make you forget. We need you to remember. You might be our only hope." He slowly moves toward the door.

"Your only hope? For what?"

"If Peter can't stop Sylar, then it falls on you. Read the file." He walks out into the hallway.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You'll understand more afterward. Now, read the file." He closes the door behind him, and Bailey hears the door being locked from the outside.

"You can't keep me in here! It's not right!" She looks at the file in her hands. "What am I going to do?"

To Be Continued…


	11. Chapter 11

Heroes: Nightmares

By, Melissa Rachel

"**_When you forget the darkness, it is the darkness that doesn't forget you_**."

Hands bound behind her back by masking tape, Bailey Winters looks at the man, who continues to dig a hole in the ground. Tears run down her face as she tries to speak through the masking tape across her mouth. Lying against the cold ground, her eyes move up toward the moon and then back to the man, who now stares at her. She lets out a scream as he grabs her.

Suddenly sitting up in her bed, Bailey looks wildly around but only sees the darkness around her. She shivers as she pulls the covers closer to her. Her whole body is saturated with sweat, but she is still afraid to move. Biting her lip, she starts to cry.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Dale. This is a friend of Mr. Linderman's. Can you speak?"

Closing Bailey's door behind her, Dale casts a quick glance around the hallway. She doesn't see the Haitian or anyone else. She knows it is safe to talk. "I thought I was done with Mr. Linderman."

"You have to remember, Dale, that it was Mr. Linderman, who p aid for your husband's funeral and your financial hardships."

"What do you want?" She stays close to Bailey's room.

"A close associate of Mr. Linderman is concerned for his daughter. She went missing about the same time as that other girl, Bailey. There is reason to believe that she was abducted by the same man. However, her body was not found with the other girls in that place that Bailey led the FBI to. M r. Linderman would like you to provide closure for his associate."

"She doesn't remember anything."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Well, she's been having nightmares about every night, but there is no telling what it is exactly that she is dreaming."

"But you can tell, Dale, can't you?" Dale doesn't answer. "You have a week."

"That's not enough time!"

"It's all you have." The call is disconnected, and Dale is left standing alone in the hallway.

Reentering Bailey's room, Dale puts on a smile and checks the tray to see if Bailey had eaten. She notices that Bailey has hardly touched her food. As a second thought, she leaves the tray on the bed and walks back toward the door.

"When can I go home?" Dale looks back at Bailey. "When?"

"None of us can go back home, my dear." She leaves the room but pauses for a long time outside of it.

Later that night, Dale approaches Bailey's room. She softly opens the door to see Bailey lying in the darkness. She can almost hear the whispers of her breathing as she sleeps, and Dale knows that it is time.

In the last days of her husband's life, Dale brought him peace with each night he slept. However, it would not be peace that she would bring to Bailey tonight. She has to open her wound to find out the truth, but Bailey had to remember anyway, didn't she? Either way, it has to be done.

Sneaking up beside her bed, Dale sits down beside her. She takes Bailey's hand in hers and is shocked by how cold her hand feels. Holding her hand tightly, Dale closes her eyes and listens to the deep breaths next to her.

Suddenly, Dale finds herself standing next to Bailey, who is bound and gagged and lying on the ground. Her eyes turn toward the man, who continues to dig his hole. Her eyes return to Bailey, and she leans down beside her.

Placing a hand on Bailey's forehead, everything starts to move in reverse. The man drops his shovel and walks back over to Bailey. He picks her up and carries her back to his truck.

The truck drives back to a house outside of town. The man turns the ignition off and gets out of the car. He opens the passenger side door and pulls Bailey out.

Carrying Bailey into his basement, he unlocks a steel door. He throws her inside and closes the door. A key is heard being turned in the doorknob, and Bailey is now alone in the room.

Dale continues to push things backward until she realizes that there is another girl in the room with Bailey. She switches the flow of time and watches everything unfold before her. She hides in the darkness, so the two girls would not see her.

"Are you okay? Do you know where we are?" Bailey approaches the other girl, who cringes away from her. "Are you okay?"

"No. None of us are." Her wide eyes hold Bailey's gaze. "He's going to kill us."

"Maybe the police or the FBI will find us first."

"Do they know that you are missing?"

"I don't know."

"Well, my father doesn't care, so nobody is looking for me."

"You never know." Bailey sits next to her.

"You're stupid if you believe that. Most of the time, these guys get away with murder and God knows what else years before anyone catches them."

Suddenly, the man enters the room and grabs the girl. He smiles as she screams and struggles against his grip. His dark eyes turn toward Bailey, who is almost ready to tackle him. "Your turn will come."

Screaming, Bailey charges him, but he pushes her aside. He slams the door closed behind him. Darkness enters the room as Bailey screams again.

Suddenly, blue electricity shoots out of her hands, and she unknowingly strikes Dale. She stares down at her hands as Dale looks at her stomach to see blood pouring out of it. Folding her hands into fists, Bailey almost sees the wide-eyed stare from Dale.

Sitting up in her bed, Bailey turns to see Dale lying on the floor. She doesn't have to check to see if she is dead. The frozen look of horror is enough, and she bolts out of bed.

A minute later, Bailey is out the door to her room, which Dale had left open. She is flying down the hallway. Her eyes catch an EXIT sign, and she makes her way outside, where she takes in her first breath of freedom.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	12. Chapter 12

HEROES: NO RETURN

By, Melissa Rachel

**_"There is no return to home because we can't take back time."_**

"What is this? Some sort of sick joke?"

"No, Dad. It's me, Bailey!"

"I don't know who you think you are, but this isn't funny!"

"It's me! It's Bailey!"

"Our daughter is dead! Do you hear me!"

"I'm not dead!"

"She was murdered! Her body was found! We buried her! End of story!"

"Dad…"

"Why can't you people stop asking about her? She's gone!"

"I'm…" The call is terminated. "I'm not dead."

Bailey Winters drops the handle back on the cradle. She keeps her fingers over the phone as she sits cross-legged on the bed. Her eyes move from the floor up to the flashing sign of the motel outside her window. "I'm not dead."

"Need answers?"

Turning her attention over to the TV, Bailey sees Nathan standing at a podium, addressing the public. Flashes from cameras go off in the crowd as news reporters shout questions at him and take down notes. A big smile stretches across Nathan's face as his eyes meet Bailey's gaze.

"Need answers? Well, I can guarantee that if you put me in office, we will get them. It's time we take a stand and get the answers that we have been denied. Thank you." The view changes to a news station that gives a little more detail to the press conference that was held earlier.

Nathan looks up from his desk to see one of the people from his committee enter his office. He notices an uncomfortable look on her face. Sighing loudly, he drops his pen on his desk and folds his hands together. "What is it?"

"There's a young woman here, who is demanding to see you."

"So, let her in."

"Okay." She turns to walk out the door.

"Is something wrong?"

"She has burn marks on her hands."

Nathan leans over his desk and looks out into the pressroom. His eyes narrow as he sees Bailey. Leaning back in his chair, he looks over at the phone and then at the woman. "Let her in, but notify security. I might need them."

Nodding, the woman leaves the office. She approaches Bailey and points to Nathan's office. Then, she pulls somebody else aside and whispers something in his ear.

"Nathan."

"Bailey. What happened to your hands?"

Looking down at her hands, Bailey stares at the burn marks. The marks were mostly on the inside of her hands, but the skin was red near her fingertips. Folding her hands behind her back, she returns her attention back to Nathan. "Nothing."

"Nothing? Well, you should have someone look at that."

"I can't."

"Why not?" Nathan sits behind his desk, but he remains poised in case she does something.

"People are looking for me, people that might have looked for you."

"What do you want?"

"Just one question answered, and then I'm gone."

"Fine. What's the question?"

"Why did you try to kill me?"

Security officers walk into Nathan's office, but Nathan holds up his hand at them. They back away from Bailey. Their eyes move back to Nathan.

"Wait outside." He watches them leave his office. "Lately, it's been one thing or another." He looks at Bailey. "I'm trying to run for office, but I just can't seem to escape… People like us." He sits back in his seat. "Why did I try to kill you?"

"Yeah."

"Because you were killing people."

"No. I would never…"

"You did." Bailey stares at Nathan. "I tried to stop you, but you came back to life."

"I came back to life?"

"Yeah." Bailey is dumbfounded. "Look, if people are after you, then you shouldn't be here."

"I can't go home." Nathan stands up from his desk. "My family thinks I'm dead." He looks at her. "They think that I was murdered." She looks at him. "Who killed me if it wasn't you?"

"I don't know." He puts on his coat. "Excuse me." He starts to walk past her.

"So, that's it?"

"What else do you want?" He stands in front of her and then glances at her hands, which are still behind her back.

"Can your brother, Peter help me?"

"If you find him, you can ask him that." He opens his office door.

"He's missing?"

"Yeah. Good-bye, Bailey." He holds the door open for her.

"What am I supposed to do!"

"I can't help you." He continues to hold the door open for her. "Please. Go. Go."

"If you can't help me, then how can you help those that will put you in office?" Bailey storms out of the office as Nathan looks after her.

Hurrying out of the building, Bailey looks around the city. She is pushed aside by some people trying to walk past her. Looking wildly around, she finally moves down the street.

Having no idea on where to go and who to turn to, Bailey just walks down the street. Maybe she could find Peter and ask him for his help. Maybe she should look for Matt and see if he could help her. Whatever she does now, she knows that she could never go back home.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	13. Chapter 13

Heroes: Connection

By, Melissa Rachel

"**_The road to the past is seen forever, but the road forward remains hidden from sight_**." M.R.M.

"What do you want?"

Holding the door to his apartment open, Henry (The Worm) Winters stares at Bailey. His brown eyes swiftly move around the hallway to see if anyone is hiding nearby. His focus moves back on her as she just stares at him. "What do you want?"

"You're not surprised to see me?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Well, can I come in first?"

"Be my guest." He watches Bailey walk in before slamming his door closed. "How did you find me?"

"The F.B.I. I heard you got arrested."

"For computer crimes that I didn't commit. Robbery isn't my thing."

Walking into the studio apartment, Bailey stares at a couch cluttered with newspapers and computer magazines. Her gaze turns to a bed in the corner of the studio, noting how unmade it looked. Her eyes then move to a large computer screen on the other end of the studio with smaller screens attached to it. "You always did love your computers."

"That I did. Why were you at the F.B.I.?"

"I was looking for someone, but he wasn't there."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Bailey watches Henry sit at his computer. His fingers move swiftly over the keyboard. Computer symbols start to float across all the screens. "How did you make bail?"

"What is it matter?"

"I'm just asking."

"Bailey! I'm busy! What do you want?" Swiveling around his chair, Henry stares at her. "I don't have all day."

"Fine. I need a new identity. I need to leave the state, maybe the country. Maybe I could even borrow some money for the trip, and I promise that I will get it back to you."

"You sound like you are in deep trouble." He scratches a spot by his neck.

"I am." Bailey notices Henry rubbing two brown marks on his neck. "People want me dead. They even made my parents think that I was dead."

"Your parents…"

"You still blame them, don't you?" Henry stops rubbing the spot. "You still blame me, don't you?"

"I don't blame you, cousin." Henry sits back in his chair. "Grab a seat. I'll make us some coffee. Then, you can tell me your story."

"What I remember of it." Bailey feels her cousin's gaze on her as she pulls a metal chair over to Henry's desk.

Shaking a plastic container full of sand and long, silver cylinders, Bailey looks up at her cousin. She knows he is still digesting what she just told him. Her eyes move back to her hands, where the burn marks are finally fading away.

"How did you get that?" Henry points to the burn marks. "Somebody do that to you?" He finishes his cup of coffee.

"No. So… Can you help me with that identity?"

"You know, my sister made that." He points to the plastic container.

"How is she?"

"She's dead." Henry sees the look of shock on Bailey's face. "She was suffocated in her sleep."

"Henry, I am so sorry."

"Yeah? Well… It wasn't your fault." He looks away. "It might've been mine." He stands up from his chair and walks over to Bailey. "Here. Let me get that." He reaches down to get Bailey's empty cup when she reaches down to do the same.

Suddenly, Bailey drops the container. The top of it flies open, and the sand and cylinders spill across the floor. A small, white thing sticks out of one cylinder.

"Damn it, Bailey!" Henry glares at her as she stares at that cylinder. "That was the only thing I had left from my sister!"

"Do you have a pin?" Bailey looks up at Henry, who still glares at her.

"What!"

"A pin. Do you have a pin?"

Muttering under his breath, Henry grabs her cup and carries it over to the kitchen nearby. He slams both cups into the sink. He stands there for a moment and then storms over to a drawer. Digging around, he pulls out a paper clip and brings it over to Bailey, who is now holding the cylinder. "What are you doing?"

"Your sister wasn't crazy."

"Yeah? Well, tell that to your parents, who put her in that damn place." Henry sees something white pop out of the cylinder and onto the floor. "What is that?"

Picking up the little paper, Bailey carefully unrolls it. Only one thing is written on it, and it makes Bailey's blood run cold. Her eyes stare at the name, Sylar written in red ink on the paper. "She wasn't crazy at all."

Minutes quickly slip into hours as Bailey and Henry work together to separate the cylinders from the sand. Each taking a paper clip, they pop out little, white papers from their metal prisons. Slowly unrolling them, each of the papers found a home in a pile of papers with the same name or thing. Finally, the last paper is revealed, and it has New York City written on it along with a date.

"That's two weeks from now."

"I know, Henry. Something is going to happen here." Bailey stares at the paper before placing it in a pile with other names and dates.

"So, what do we have here?"

"A lot of names by themselves and a lot of names with dates." Bailey sees Henry picking at the pile of sand near his leg. "What do you think she was trying to tell us?"

"I don't know." Henry's finger lands on something hard in the sand, and he pulls out one last cylinder. "Obviously, it wasn't just voices that she heard." He pops out the paper and unrolls it. "Oh my God!" He drops the paper and quickly moves away from it.

"Henry! What! What is it?"

Hurrying over to the paper, Bailey snatches it up and looks at it. She lets out a cry as she sees the name on the paper. She looks at Henry and then at the paper, which reads: Becky Winters, 1/12/07.

"That bastard killed her!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You asked me how I made bail, remember? Well, this guy representing a Mr. Linderman helped with the bail and the charges being dropped. In exchange, they wanted me to work for Linderman, but I didn't like the work that they had in mind. I turned them down, and in return, my sister was killed!"

"Henry, you don't know that."

"Do I? Half the pile here only has names, and the other half has names and dates. Why do you think that is?" Bailey only shrugs. "I'll show you why." He grabs every single, white piece of paper from the second pile and carries it over to his computer.

"Henry, what are you doing?"

"Just shut up, Bailey. Let me think."

"Fine."

Taking a seat next to her cousin, Bailey watches Henry type in the names with dates into his computer. He tosses each paper aside after copying the information. After entering his sister's name and date, he hits enter and watches his computer go to work.

"It's amazing."

"What is?"

"That I can get through every firewall that I come across. The only thing that I can't seem to do is make computers do what I want, but I bet somebody else has that ability."

"So, what did Linderman want you to do?"

"Oh, nothing except hack into our own government."

"Don't you do that now?"

Bailey knows her cousin is about to answer her when a list of names pops across all the screens. Some of the names are in red. The rest of them are in black.

"What's the red mean?"

"It means these people are dead. Look at the dates." He points to a date next to the red names. "They're the dates when they were… Murdered. They were killed by Sylar."

"Why aren't there dates for all the red names?" Henry shrugs. "How could your sister have known this? How could she know all these people?"

"Maybe you should ask your parents about that."

"Will you stop already, Henry! Damn it! They didn't have a choice. They couldn't help her."

"Yes, they could have!" He glares at Bailey. "They were afraid to help her."

"I'm not having this discussion again." Bailey stands up from her seat and starts to walk away.

"Why do you think I left?" He returns to scanning the list.

"I know why you left, but I needed you. We were so close, Henry. We were so close until that day." She turns to look at him. "Are you listening to me?"

"Bailey, look at this."

"What?" She approaches the computer screen.

"Look." Henry points to a name on the list. "It's our grandmother."

"But she's dead. Why would she be on the list?"

"I don't know, but she's there. What do you think that means?"

"You're asking me? I don't know what the hell is going on, Henry."

"Obviously, something is going on." He looks at her as Bailey stares at the list on the screen. "I wonder if my father knew something."

Pushing past Bailey, Henry makes his way over to the couch. He throws the clutter onto the floor. He digs around the pillows until he finds a crumpled up newspaper article.

"I never thought much about the plane crash. I tried to pretend that it didn't even happen."

"They said it was an electrical problem."

"Was it, though? Was it the thunderstorm, or was it someone on the plane?"

"What does it matter? You lost your parents, and we lost our grandparents."

"But what if it wasn't an accident, Bailey?" He stares at her. "What if the plane crashed because somebody made it?"

"And killed all those people? No, Henry. The plane crash was an accident." Bailey is now kneeling beside her cousin as he stares at the unfolded newspaper article. "It was an accident!"

"Are you so sure about that, cousin?" They stare at each other.

As the paintbrush dances across the canvas, Isaac's white eyes follow its every stroke. Dark blue colors clutter the white areas as the paintbrush moves almost in a circle. Stopping in the middle of the picture, Isaac's eyes flash brown, and he stares at a woman completely dark blue, electric with white eyes of her own. "Who the hell is this?"

Feeling cold, Bailey sits up on her cousin's couch. Her eyes try to adjust to the darkness around her. Looking over at her cousin, she sees Henry passed out in his bed.

Suddenly, a blue flash of light blinds Bailey. She quickly covers her eyes. Slowly lowering her hand, she sees a woman standing before her. "Who… What are you?"

"I'm you, Bailey, or what you will become." The woman hovers closer to Bailey as blue sparks jump off her skin.

"What do you want?"

To Be Continued…


	14. Chapter 14

Heroes: Hello

By, Melissa Rachel

"**_What does the past say to the present that the present says to the future_**?"

Mrs. Winters softly hums to herself as she checks on a pot roast cooking in the oven. She looks over her shoulder to see her son coloring in one of his books as he sits at the kitchen table. Her eyes move over to her niece, Becky drawing a picture with a red pen. "What are you drawing, Becky?"

"My parents and grandparents."

"That's nice." Mrs. Winters is about to walk over to the table to look at the picture when she hears a scream upstairs. "It sounds like Henry and Bailey are watching one of their Horror movies."

Walking out of the kitchen, Mrs. Winters makes her way up the stairs toward Bailey's room. Her hand gently graces the banister as she reaches the top. Her eyes move around the hallway before she approaches Bailey's door.

Suddenly opening the door, Mrs. Winters is greeted with a scream. Her eyes dart to the TV, where the movie, Identity is blaring away. She quickly snaps her head away as a car drives into a man. "How can you watch these movies?"

"Because it's fun." Henry grins from ear to ear.

"I've seen worse."

"Then, why did you scream, Bailey?" She is answered with a blank stare from Bailey. "Turn the movie off. Dinner is about ready, and your father should be home from the airport any minute." She quickly closes the door behind her.

"Yeah, Bailey. Why did you scream?"

Ignoring her cousin, Bailey stands up from the floor and turns off the VCR. She turns the TV off as a flash of lightning catches her eye. She shudders even before she hears the clash of thunder. "Great. We're getting the storm."

"Are you going to scream now?"

"No. My brother hates storms not me."

"And your sister?"

"If you can get her to turn her music down, I don't think the storm would bother her either." She sits back down on the floor as Henry moves closer to her.

"Guess what I did on your computer last night?"

"You and your computers, Henry. What? What did you do?"

"I got onto the F.B.I.'s website."

"Henry!"

"I was looking through their Top Secret files, and you would not believe some of the things that they are hiding."

"Great. That's just great, Henry. Before we graduate high school, we're going to be busted by the F.B.I."

"If the F.B.I. had traced the internet connection, they would have been here already, Bailey."

"Well, maybe they move slow."

"Relax. I don' think the F.B.I. can trace me."

Suddenly, the front door is heard being thrown open. It smashes against a wall. A minute later, the door is slammed back in place.

"Henry! Bailey! Get down here! Now!"

"Your father sounds pissed."

"I'll give you one idea why, Henry." Bailey and Henry stand up and hurry out the door. "I'm sorry, but this time, I'm not going to take the heat for you."

"Oh, that's right. Sell your cousin off to jail while you graduate school and go off to a community college."

"Henry… You should not have hacked into the F.B.I.'s website."

"Come down here now!" They both jump as a clash of thunder follows Bailey's father's voice.

Running down the stairs, Bailey and Henry expect to see a dozen F.B.I. agents waiting for them. Instead, they find their family surrounding the TV in the living room. Their eyes move from the news reporter to the devastation behind her.

"What happened?" Bailey sees tears in her mother's eyes. "What happened?"

"What plane is that? What plane crashed!" Henry stares at his aunt and uncle, who refuse to look at him. "What plane is that!"

"You know what plane that it is." Bailey's father starts to cry.

"No… No!" Henry crumbles to his knees and starts to sob. "No!"

"Oh my God." Bailey numbly puts her hand on her cousin's shoulder as he cries. "What happened?" She looks over at her sister, who is holding her brother in her arms.

Suddenly, a flicker of blue light catches Bailey's attention. Her eyes turn toward the window, and she nearly screams at what she sees. Shuddering, Bailey stares at a woman, who looked like she was made of blue electricity, and she watches in horror as the woman nods at her. A second later, the woman vanishes in another flash of light, and Bailey is left wondering at what she just witnessed.

A scream pulls Bailey back into reality as she watches her mother snatch a piece of paper away from Becky. She wonders what made her mother scream, and she walks over to her. Grabbing the piece of paper out of her hands, Bailey stares at her aunt, uncle and grandparents drawn in red ink with a date on the bottom and X's for their eyes. She looks at her mother, who glares at Becky.

"It was you. On that day, it was you." The woman gives Bailey the same nod that she was given before. "You could have stopped it."

"It had to happen, Bailey."

"They could have lived!"

"They had to die in that plane crash, and you will discover why one day."

"They could have lived!" Henry is now standing next to the woman. "Bailey… How could you let them die?" He looks from the woman to the younger Bailey. "How could you let them die!"

"If they lived, they would not have lived long, and I am not here for them." She turns to look at her younger self. "I am here for you, Bailey."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	15. Chapter 15

Heroes: Countdown

By, Melissa Rachel

"**_When the clock starts to count down our every second, how much time do we really have before it runs out_**?" M.R.M.

Janice Parkman hurries through the busy F.B.I. building. She grabs one girl by the shoulder and quickly asks her something. Her pace picks up as her eyes move over everyone in search of one person, who will hopefully have the answers that she so desperately needs. Panic tears at her heart at the very thought of not finding her, but then she spots her. She sees F.B.I. Agent Audrey Hanson stepping out of her office, and their eyes lock a moment later.

"Mrs. Parkman?" Audrey is surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?" She now stands in front of her. "Matt isn't here."

"Yeah. I know. He's missing. Again." Audrey takes in what she is just told. "When was the last time that you spoke to him, Agent Hanson?"

"It's Audrey, and I have not spoken to him since things went south in an investigation."

"So, it wasn't you that called him on his cell phone recently?"

"No. No, it wasn't me, but I could have the call traced…"

"Do it!" Audrey stares at Janice. "I have been going crazy, waiting for my husband to come home, and he hasn't yet. There was a man looking for him before, and I got a very peculiar feeling from him. I think Matt is in trouble."

"Did you get the man's name?" Janice shakes her head. "Did he do anything… Did he say anything?"

"No, but that he would be back soon. I need to find my husband, Audrey."

"Audrey!" An F.B.I. Agent signals to her to come over to his desk.

"Not now, Ben!" She hardly looks at him as she stares at Janice.

"Audrey, you better come see this!" She turns to look at Ben. "Now!" She and Janice exchange looks before hurrying over to Ben's desk.

"What the hell is it, Ben?" Audrey turns to look at his computer screen. "Oh my God." She turns to look at Janice.

On the computer screen is a giant worm spitting words out onto the screen, reading: NEW YORK CITY WILL BE DESTROYED BY A NUCLEAR BOMB. The worm turns brown, and as it turns to dust, words appear in it, reading: PETER PETRELLI WILL DESTROY US ALL. The virus repeats itself, and it is now clear that it is on every computer screen throughout the F.B.I. Headquarters.

Candice Wilmer erupts into Thompson's office. She breaks his deep thought as his eyes turn toward her. Out of breath, she points to his computer, which is in sleep mode. "Turn it on… Turn it on!"

Obeying her order, Thompson taps his spacebar. He watches the computer awake from its slumber. A moment later, he stares angrily at the worm warning everyone of the coming disaster.

"It's everywhere." His gaze returns to Candice. "On every computer in every house, every business, and even in the F.B.I. Headquarters."

"Shut it down!"

"We can't. Whoever did this…"

"I know who did this." He sits back in his chair, trying to not look at the screen. "And he better hope that I don't find him."

Suddenly, the phone on Thompson's desk rings. He looks at Candice and then at the phone. He answers the call on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Thompson. Did you like the worm?"

"Bailey." Candice stares at Thompson in shock. "You have no idea what you just did."

"I actually do, and if you want it to stop, you have to answer my demand."

"Demand?" He sits back in his chair again. "You just have one demand? How did you get this number? Did HRG give it to you?"

"No. Somebody else did." Bailey's voice is firm, stable on the other end. "Release Matt Parkman to me."

"I'm sorry, but we don't have Matt Parkman here." He glares at Candice, who looks at her feet. "You're mistaken."

"Am I? Keep bluffing, and you won't like what comes next." A moment of silence passes. "Now, release him to me."

"He's a married man, Bailey. I'm sorry, but he's already taken." A ghost of a smile pulls at Thompson's lips. "Maybe… Maybe you need him for another reason. Maybe you want him because he is the only one that can make you remember."

"You're correct."

"And what do I get in return if I give him to you?"

"The virus will be pulled off every computer everywhere."

"That's not good enough."

"Excuse me?" He smiles at the tremble in her voice.

"I want your cousin, Henry (The Worm) Winters."

"What!"

"Think of it as a trade, Bailey."

"No!" Her voice is now shaken. "No, I won't do that."

"Then, you don't get Matt Parkman."

"What the hell is wrong with you, Thompson?" He's surprised that she knows his name. "Don't you know what Peter is going to do to New York City?"

"He's the only one that can stop Sylar."

"I won't kill him."

"Really? You were pretty bloodthirsty at one point in time. Do you remember that?" Silence is his answer. "Think about it, Bailey, but the clock is counting down." He hangs up the phone and turns to look at Candice.

"What are you doing?"

"Relax. I know what I am doing."

"But, Thompson, we don't need this Worm guy."

"Actually, Candice, we do especially if Bailey remembers." Candice stares at Thompson, confused. "Think of him as… Leverage." He sits back in his chair again. "She'll call. She needs Matt. She knows that, and we know that. There is no other choice." He smiles broadly. "Either way, she'll be in our hands soon."

A loud crash erupts in Nathan Petrelli's office. A press assistant hurries inside to see Nathan standing over pieces of a computer that was originally on his desk. Now, a dusty spot remains where it was as Nathan's hands clench into fists.

"I want you to contact the police, the F.B.I., the damn National Guard. I don't care, but I want that virus pulled off the web now!" The press assistant hurries out of the office. "Damn it!" The door to the office slams closed a moment later.

Busting into Henry's apartment, the F.B.I. finds the place deserted. Their attention turns to his computer screens, showing the virus. However, there is no way for them to shut it down.

"Damn it!" Audrey slams her gun back into its holster as she looks at the other agents. "We're already too late." She turns to look back at the computer screens.

Sitting under the Throgs Neck Bridge in a small, cramped car, Bailey wipes tears out of her eyes. She refuses to look at Henry. Instead, she turns to watch the cars pass by overhead on the bridge.

"It has to be done, Bailey. You heard what your future self said. There is no other choice, and we don't have a whole lot of time."

"He'll kill you."

"No, he won't." Bailey finally looks at her cousin. "He needs me."

"Are you so sure about that, Henry?" She sees the doubt in his eyes. "I lost everything. I lost everyone close to me. I might have to become that monster to stop this, and if you're not here to bring me back, then I will become her. I will become that woman that we met, and I will do everything that she did when you died." Henry winces at those words. "That future can't happen, Henry. I won't let it." She turns to look out the window.

"We won't let it." He touches her face. "We know what is coming now. We know that Peter has to live, or Sylar will wipe all of us out. He will be uncontrollable, and the future will be that nightmare that we were warned about. We know what is going to happen, Bailey." She looks at him. "We can stop it!" Their eyes meet, and they hold each other's gaze. "We can stop it!"

"But he kills you."

"Not yet." A small smile plays across his face. "I have the upper hand, so please, do the trade. You need to remember, or all is lost. Everything will be lost." Bailey looks down as Henry takes her hand. "We will find ourselves again, Bailey. You found me, and now I will find you. I promise." Bailey slowly nods. "I will find you." His grip tightens on her hand.

Smiling, Thompson reaches out toward the ringing phone. His fingers play across the handle for a moment. He finally answers it as he leans closer to his desk. "Hello, Bailey."

"Thompson."

"Are we ready to trade?"

"When and where?" Thompson grins even more.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	16. Chapter 16

Heroes: Open

By, Melissa Rachel

"_**To truly remember what you really are, everything has to be taken away first**_." M.R.M.

Blood trickles down Bailey's neck. Coldness seizes her. She turns to look at Nathan, who holds Matt's gun in his hand. She gaps one last breath and falls into the arms of Matt Parkman.

"What have you done!"

"I filled my end of a bargain. She was too dangerous, Matt. She was as dangerous as Sylar."

"But you didn't have to kill her!"

"Yes, I had to."

"Nathan, what did you do?"

"What I had to, Peter. What I always have to." Nathan starts to walk away from them.

Suddenly, a white flash is seen from the corner of Nathan's eye. He hears Bailey start to cough. He is about to turn around with the gun in his hand when Peter grabs it away from him. He looks at his brother and then at Bailey, who is still in Matt's arms.

"Bailey? Bailey?"

"How the hell is that possible?" Nathan looks at Matt, who glares at him. "I shot her in the neck!"

"You killed her." Peter looks at him and then at Matt, who now looks at him. "Well, you tried anyway." Peter suddenly turns the gun toward Bailey and shoots her.

Suddenly, Matt and Bailey open their eyes. Their gaze locks as they continue to hold each other's hands. Slowly, they move away from the circle that they are sitting in as Matt shakes his head.

"Peter never shot you, Bailey. I don't know why we saw that."

"It doesn't matter, Matt."

"It certainly does, Bailey." Someone stands near Matt and Bailey.

An elderly Indian man stands near a circle drawn in white chalk on a wooden floor. His brown, wrinkled hands are folded in front of him. His white hair hangs over his shoulders as his yellow eyes focus on Bailey. "Don't doubt the vision."

"But Peter never shot her." Matt is sitting Indian-style in the circle along with Bailey. "Why would we see that?" He doesn't like the look that the man gives him. "Raven, why would we see that?" It bothers Matt more that the man still doesn't answer him for a moment.

"That's enough for today. We will try again later." Raven walks out of the cabin that they are in.

Standing up from the floor, Bailey feels faint. It took a lot of her energy to connect with Matt and try to go back to the beginning. However, she only kept returning to when she first died.

"You okay, Bailey?" Matt stands up from the floor. "You really haven't spoken to me since the trade. I'm sure… I hope your cousin will be alright." He approaches Bailey, who keeps her back to him. "I'll help you get him back."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes." She finally looks at Matt. "In the meantime, we need to try to find a way to help me remember. Raven…"

"How did you find this Raven guy?" Bailey looks at Matt. "How did you know to come to these mountains and find this cabin?"

"_What can I say? My future self told me_?" Bailey shrugs. "My cousin told me about him."

"You forgot about me, didn't you? I just heard your thoughts." Bailey stares at Matt. "Your future self told you about Raven?" Bailey starts to walk away when Matt grabs her by the arm. "Damn it, Bailey! I'm here to help you!" He pulls her closer. "Trust me."

"Fine. My future self told me, okay? She came to him, and he knew that we were coming. He picked this place not me."

"And what does he get in return for helping us?"

"I get to save my son." Matt and Bailey turn to see Raven standing nearby. "Bailey's future self told me about the man that would kill him, and in return, I help this Bailey become what she needs to." His gaze moves from Bailey and then to Matt. "Let her get some rest, Mr. Parkman. She is going to need it." He walks away.

Letting go of Bailey's arm, Matt gazes at her. "Are you ready for this?"

"I don't have a choice." She stands near him for a moment but then moves away. "Call your wife. She's worried about you." She heads for a staircase nearby. "I'm going to lie down."

Walking outside, Matt finds Raven standing near a cliff. His face is poised toward the sun. His eyes are closed, and his hands are slightly raised upward. Soft words flow out of his mouth as Matt turns to look back at the small cabin behind them.

"You're worried about her." Raven turns to look at him with a faint smile on his lips. "You should be. In a way, she chose you as her protector."

"I'm doing a lousy job in that." Standing next to Raven, Matt takes in the beauty of the scenery around them. "If only the world could stay so beautiful."

"Don't worry so much. You have your own destiny to fulfill. You will see another beautiful world. For now, though, your part in Bailey's life is about to be fulfilled."

"Doing what? Making her remember?"

"Once she remembers, she won't need you. Her quest lies in the opposite of your direction."

"Just be honest with me." Matt and Raven are now face to face. "You want me to shoot her, don't you?" Raven only stares at him. "I sensed that earlier in the cabin."

"And if I told you that you need to?"

"I wouldn't do it!"

"What if there is no other way to bring her back as she was?"

"Then, we would find another way to stop Peter!"

"There is no other way."

"There has to be."

"Then, find it." Raven walks away. "Otherwise, the world would be as her future self said it would be, and that is a world that I would not want to see. There is no beauty there."

"You're talking about murder!"

"She won't die." Raven stares at Matt. "You know that."

"I don't."

"Yes, you do." Raven walks back into the cabin.

Hands now clenched into fists, Matt stares back out at the mountains in front of him. He gnaws on his lip as he shakes his head. Turning to look back at the cabin, he slowly looks back at the mountains.

Sitting in the circle in an Indian-style position, Raven senses Matt walking past him. His eyes remain closed as his hands are slightly raised upward. Soft words flow out of his mouth as his white hair hangs down his back. Slowly, he opens his eyes, but he does not see where Matt has gone.

Lying across a bed, Bailey is fast asleep. Her head rests on the pillow as she sleeps on her side. She is unaware of Matt standing near the bed.

Pushing her hair away from her face, Matt stares at her. He is tempted to sit next to her. Instead, he stands nearby and watches her sleep. "Forgive me."

Suddenly, Matt raises his gun at Bailey. His finger wraps around the trigger. A moment later, a thunderous bang echoes throughout the room.

To Be Continued…


	17. Chapter 17

Heroes: Morph

By, Melissa Rachel

"_**Through Death, we learn the meaning of our life**_." M.R.M.

"Breathe!"

A river of blood flows across a wooden floor. Two shadows hover over it as the blood continues to pour toward a circle of white chalk. Turning the white chalk into red, the blood stops flowing.

"Damn it, Bailey!" Matt Parkman starts C.P.R. on her. "Don't die on me!" He glares angrily at Raven. "Don't you die!" He breathes into her mouth. "Come on!" He continues the C.P.R.

Gazing at a photo of H.R.G., Thompson barely hears the knock at his office door. He puts the photo back into its folder when he hears the second knock. Looking up, he gestures for his guest to enter the room.

"What do I owe to this visit?" Thompson now gazes at Henry, who sits in a chair opposite his desk. "We haven't heard anything about Bailey yet except that she and Parkman are seeing some Indian witchdoctor." He softly laughs at his own comment.

"I was actually wondering if you found the man that killed my sister." Henry has a stern expression on his face. "Did you find him?"

"Not yet." Thompson pushes H.R.G.'s file away from him. "However, we are looking for him."

"What's taking so damn long? You found me. You knew Bailey was going to find me. Why can't you find this guy?" Henry leans closer toward Thompson. "Maybe… Maybe you hired that guy to kill my sister!"

"I told you that I had nothing to do with that." Thompson leans back in his seat and folds his hands together. "Your sister was very valuable, and I'm sorry that she is dead."

"Then, find the man that killed her! It's the only reason why I agreed to help you." Henry is now standing near Thompson's desk. "If you don't find him, then I won't deliver Bailey as promised." He starts to leave the office.

"We'll find him." Thompson remains in his seat. "You'll have him before we need you to deliver Bailey to us." Henry pauses by the office door and looks back at Thompson. "Trust me."

"Trust you?" Henry walks back over to him. "I think you have been lying to me from the start. We both know that my ability and my sister's is nothing compared to what Bailey can do."

"I agree with that."

"You're just using me to get to her."

"You're valuable to the company too, Henry, but that virus was a bad move. You cost us some problems with that one."

"Too damn bad." Thompson blinks at him. "I'm not sorry because if you don't deliver on your promise, I won't deliver on mine." He starts to leave the office.

"Henry."

"What?" He turns to look at Thompson. "What?"

"You want to know a truth?" Thompson stands up from his seat and walks over to him. "That plane crash that killed your parents and grandparents…"

"What about it?"

"It wasn't a freak accident." Thompson approaches a file cabinet near the office door. "Your grandmother caused the plane to crash." Henry stares at Thompson. "We had one of our guys on that plane, and he died too."

"You lying sonofabitch!" Henry makes a move toward him when Thompson pulls out a tape recorder from a drawer in the file cabinet. "How dare you!"

Handing Henry the tape recorder, Thompson walks past him. He knows that Henry is staring at it. Sitting back down in his chair, he leans back and folds his hands together. "Push play." Henry looks at him. "Do it."

"Thompson, we have a problem." Henry's finger hovers over the play button. "She's freaking out. She's freaking out bad. We're approaching an electrical storm, and she is sitting right next to the window."

"You know what will happen if lightning touches her. Get her away from the window!"

"Hold on. Let me try." Motion is heard on the taped phone conversation. "Mr. Winters, we need you to move your wife away from the window."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm an air marshal. Please switch seats with your wife."

"It's going to hit us. It's going to hit us!"

"Maam, calm down! Mr. Winters…. Please switch seats."

"Why? It's not like anything is going to happen. She just hates to fly especially through storms."

"Mr. Winters…"

"We're in the storm!" Mrs. Winters's screams are followed by an explosion and then static.

All the color is drained from Henry's face. His hand is shaking, but he still holds the tape recorder. His eyes finally move toward Thompson, who now has a grave expression on his face.

"Now, you know the truth." He watches Henry place the tape recorder on his desk. "If you don't bring Bailey in, she will kill a lot more people than your grandmother did. She's not going to be who you remember her to be, and we need to contain her. Do you understand?" Henry slowly nods. "Good. Now, get out of here." He watches Henry leave his office.

"She's dead!"

Sitting next to Bailey's body, Matt Parkman stares at his red hands. Tears flow down his face. His gaze settles on Raven, who checks Bailey's pulse. "We lost her."

"No, you didn't." A familiar voice is heard behind Matt. "I'm right here." The hair stands up on the back of his neck as he turns to see who is speaking behind him.

Shimmering with blue electricity, Matt's eyes fall on a woman with gold eyes and long, brown hair. Her gaze holds his for a moment. Slowly, she moves over to Bailey's body.

"Bailey?" The woman nods. "You're her future self?" The woman nods again. "You planned this." Matt stands up from the floor as the woman glares at him. "You wanted her dead!"

"Let me do what I need to do, Matt. It's the only way." Matt tries to read her thoughts again.

"Why are you going to do this?" He looks at her. "There were other ways."

"I need to do this. I need to do this for me. You have no idea what it is like to not only be separated from the world but also time itself. She needs this, and I need to give it to her."

"But you'll change the future."

"I'll change my future." The woman now gently stares at Matt. "She has a chance to make things right."

"But she'll know what you know."

"So she can change it."

"We're out of time." Everyone looks at Raven. "Her spirit is moving."

"Good-bye, Matt." Bailey now stands over herself.

Suddenly, before Matt can stop her, Bailey's future self turns into a cloud of blue electricity. The cloud descends upon Bailey, enveloping her. The electricity in the cabin flickers as the energy is seeped into Bailey's body.

Letting out a scream, Bailey sits up on the floor. She looks at her bullet hole wound to see it heal. Staring at all her blood, her gaze now moves toward Matt, who stands near her.

"It had to be done." She starts to cry. "There was no other way." Matt now holds her in his arms. "It had to be done." Bailey rests her head on Matt's shoulder. "Now, Matt, we part ways." She continues to rest her head against his shoulder as Matt gazes at Raven, who nods at him. "It's time I follow my destiny, and it's time for you to do the same."

FINAL CHAPTER: COMING SOON


	18. Chapter 18

Heroes: END's ROAD

By, Melissa Rachel

Copyright5/23/07

"_**Walk with me down to the End's Road, where my story leads, but no longer wait for me there to return**_." M.R.M.

The buzz of the lunch rush vibrates through the diner like a train zooming through its station. Dishes clink and clatter as clouds of voices and laughter fill the air. Lines of people disappear with each new empty table, and money slips in and out of the hands of the cashier near the door. It is a regular day at this local diner, and nobody would have known that two adversaries were there, sitting opposite each other.

"I could arrest you for what you just told me." Detective Liam Jones watches the young woman drink her coffee. "There's nothing stopping me from arresting you."

"But it hasn't happened yet, and you don't want to make a scene here in this diner." She continues to drink her coffee as the detective looks down at his own cup.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't."

"Why should I?"

"Because you called me here to meet you. Out of all of New York City's police officers and detectives, you called me. I want to know why and why you would tell me about premeditated murder!" He falls silent as the waitress walks by to see if they need a refill for their coffee.

"Because in the end, you will be the one to stop me." She watches the waitress walk away.

"Why? Why! Why me! Why tell me this?" He sits back in his seat. "Why me?"

"For me to answer that, detective, I would have to take you back to the beginning."

"Well, I have the time, so why don't you, lady?"

"Well, for starters, my name is Bailey Winters." She puts her coffee cup back down on its saucer. "Second of all, there was a time in my life when I was just ordinary. My days were mindless with work and coming home, an endless routine. Then, one day, everything changed." The detective studies her. "My life was taking away from me." She looks over at a table, where a family is sitting. "And I can't have that life again." She looks back at the detective.

"What happened to you?"

"I was abducted by a serial killer." She leans back in her seat. "He bound and gagged me, hurt me, and was going to bury me alive." She almost smiles at the shocked look on the detective's face.

Memories of that night stole her smile quickly away. Her skin shivers from the thought of that cold ground that she was lying on as her abductor continued to dig his hole. A silent scream rises in her throat. Shaking the moment of that night away, she looks back at the detective, who still has not touched his coffee.

"He almost killed you." She looks down at her hands. "What stopped him?"

"I did." She looks back at him. "The F.B.I. found him later on in that grave near all the other graves of his victims." She pushes her coffee away from her. "I took his life, but he was only the first one."

"It was self-defense from what you just told me." He finally takes a sip of his coffee.

"There was a robbery that I got stuck in the middle of later on. The robber shot me, but I killed him too." The detective freezes with the cup pressed against his lips.

Clearing his throat and wiping his lips with his hand, the detective asks, "How exactly did you kill both of them?"

"Well, that's the funny part, detective. I just took their life."

"I got that, but how did you just take their life?"

"I could hear their heart beat, and I felt their energy. I concentrated, and I took it into me." The detective stares at her. "I just… I just took their life."

"What are you? Some kind of vampire?"

"I guess I am. Do you remember that huge fire at the Loft, where twenty people were killed?" The detective nods. "I was there that night, and some of those people died because of me." He makes a motion toward his gun, which has remained in its holster up to this point. "The C.D.C. was called in because some of those people died from heart failure and not from the fire." He stops reaching for his gun and looks at Bailey. "The robber and serial killer also died from heart failure."

"I don't get it. Did you start that fire?" Bailey shakes her head. "Then, you are asking me to believe that you can stop people's hearts and take their life into you?" Bailey nods. "That's unnatural." He shakes his own head as he drinks his coffee.

"I could prove it to you." He looks at her. "However, I don't think you would want that on your conscience."

"I don't believe that people have super powers or that there really are vampires running around." He drinks his coffee. "I think you're crazy."

"I guess that would be better than thinking I was a killer." She stares out the window nearby for a moment. "I'm dying." She looks back at the detective. "I thought that this company would have a cure to fix me, but they don't. I've already died twice. The next time that I die, it will be for good."

"You're crazy." He puts the coffee down on the table and takes out his wallet. "If I were you, I would hope to never see me again." He starts to take money out from his wallet. "Thanks for the waste of time." He throws it on the table. "I have to get back to the real world." He is about to stand up from the booth that he is sitting in.

"Right. You have to get back to your Narcissus case." He looks at her in surprise. "You've been trying to crack that case for a year now, but could you imagine working on that case for five years of your life?"

"How the hell do you know about that case?" He remains sitting. "How do you know about that case!" She winces at his yell, and he looks around to see that everyone in the diner is now looking at him. "How do you know this?" He lowers his voice.

"Because you told me. Five years from now, you come after me, and you told me about this case. As soon as it ended, you came after me. You knew. You knew that trail of dead bodies from heart failure was me. You knew I was killing people." She stopped talking as the waitress again approaches their table and ignores the stare that the waitress now gives her. "We just met a little earlier now." She watches the waitress hurry away.

"Why? Why meet me now before any of this happens?"

"Because I am going to give you back something that you will lose."

"And what could that possibly be?" He laughs despite the tone of conversation.

"The life of your wife and two children." Bailey hardly flinches now when the detective grabs his gun out of its holster and points it at her. "He will have them killed in five years. You'll take him down, but it will be too late. He will take your family before you take him."

Life comes to a halt inside the diner. Frozen faces of patrons and employees are turned toward the detective and Bailey. Dishes crash somewhere nearby as the detective continues to keep his gun trained on Bailey. Hardly does anyone breathe as these two continue their confrontation.

"I should kill you." He pushes the gun further in Bailey's face. "I should kill you! I should save those people…"

"Those criminals, those monsters?"

"You're not a vigilante! If my family dies, you better pray to find the furthest corner of this world to escape me!"

"I won't kill your family, but he will." Bailey gently touches the gun still poised in front of her. "You told me that you came close to getting him, but he knew. He knew about the takedown because he had a rat in your house. The rat is Detective Neil Ryans. He is as dirty as they come, but he does a good job in covering his tracks." The gun wavers in front of her. "If you get the rat out of the way, you'll get him." The gun is lowered. "You'll save your family." She watches the detective put his gun away.

"I knew he was dirty. I couldn't prove it, but I knew. How can I prove it now?" She shakes her head. "The takedown is happening at the end of this week. I can get him?" She nods. "But now it has to change because Ryans knows the plan." She nods again. "Then, I get him." He looks at her. "If you're right and everything changes, how do you know that I won't come after you?"

"You still will. You told me that."

"Were we close at some point because I don't open up to anyone but my wife?"

"We were close for a time, but it ended quickly." She takes out her wallet and throws money on the table. "You'll take me down. You know how. You will." She stands up from the table. "Right now, you have to save your family." She stands right near the detective. "Take him down!"

"I should take you down first." The detective turns to look at Bailey, but she is already gone. "Bailey?" He quickly stands up from the booth. "Bailey!" He looks around wildly. "Bailey!"

"She's gone, mister." He turns to look at a kid, who is held tightly in his mother's arms. "She just disappeared." The detective looks from the kid to his parents and realizes that everyone in the diner is staring at him.

"It's okay, everyone. I'm a cop." He takes out his badge and waves it in the air. "I'm a police detective." His gaze is met with suspicion and apprehension. "I'm going to leave now. " He quickly moves toward the doors of the diner. "I'm sorry." He looks at the cashier, who stands against a wall as everyone else watches him. "I'm sorry for the disturbance." The detective quickly walks out onto the streets of New York City.


End file.
